Like Ships in the Night
by runaway-zebra
Summary: She could tell herself, Rick, Daryl, Shane even, that she didn't care anymore but she couldn't fool her cousin. "You think?" Maggie scoffed and shook her head before standing up from the bed. She nodded over to the man asleep in the chair, the one that hadn't left her side. "I think you made the wrong choice, Tay." [RickxOCxDaryl] [LorixShane] [MaggiexGlenn]
1. The New Guy

Author's Note: I have not yet written any Walking Dead fanfics so I am pretty excited to get this started off. There will be swearing, violence, and suggestive themes through the entire story, just as a warning, nothing too awful. Also, there will be some parts that are word for word from the episodes and obviously a lot will be changed. I have an OC and for the first few chapters it will be focused on her just so she can be developed. After that it will include a lot more of the other characters, usually a good chunk of LorixShane in each chapter. Of course all the other awesome sub-characters will be in it as well, can't leave them out! :) Drop a review to let me know how you like it, or some constructive criticism. xox

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CHAPTER ONE  
THE NEW GUY.

She looked over at what she assumed would be the newest member of the group. The one that almost got them killed, _what a fitting label, _she thought to herself sarcastically. She was not like the others in the sense that shunning people out of the group for their own benefit made no sense. Why not have an extra man around? Most of the girls proved to useless these days… in her opinion at least. Then again with the onslaught of a zombie apocalypse she thought there was some room for cynicism.

"He's going to lose it…" Taylor whispered under her breathe as the thought of Merle being left for dead crawled back to her mind again.

"Who is? About what?" Rick's perplexed look urged the girl to speak on even though the mere idea of breaking the news to Daryl was making her nerves shake.

"Daryl. About us leaving his brother for dead on that building. I know it wasn't on purpose but that's his flesh and blood, all he's got left… and we left him there, to starve, or worse, be eaten."

"We didn't have a choice-"

"I don't think he'll see it that way." The guilt began to course through her, she may have not had any part of it, even was against the idea of cuffing him to the pipe but she let it happen. She promised him that she wouldn't let things get out of hand with his crazy son-of-bitch brother. That was a lie now. The silence was starting to ring in her ears with the only sound being the tires on the pavement. Apparently Rick was also dealing with the side effects of leaving a human being- even a complete and utter waste of space- to rot on a roof top.

"What's your name again? I haven't heard anything other than asshole and idiot…" Taylor looked over at him skeptically, she wanted to break the god forsaken silence. She pushed past the now haunting thoughts and tried to figure out what the new guy was all about. He seemed to be very good with a gun, and steady under pressure, always good points when you are constantly being tailed by the living dead.

"Idiot? I guess you're all a bunch of sweethearts. Maybe I shouldn't have helped get you guys out of there," he made a crooked half-smile at her, not taking his eyes off the road after the chaos they just endured to get out of the now overrun mall.

"Helped us?" She scoffed and rested her arm out the window, feeling a little relieved to be out of the city limits. "I won't even dignify that part with a response Mr. Blow Everyone's Cover, and for the record I wasn't the one that said any of those names."

"My name's Rick," he kept his eyes steady with no emotion this time. He wasn't sure if the decision he made was right. He didn't know these people or what they were or were not capable of. They had saved him from that tank but kindness can only get you so far in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

"Rick, I'm Taylor. It's nice to meet you, we haven't seen anyone alive in…" she paused to think and that was a daunting task alone, "months? Maybe? I can't even remember, the days clash-"

"Well I guess I'm lucky then." Rick let out a breathe of air as they pulled into the make-shift campground. He was beginning to question his decision, would they even let him join them? If they did he still wasn't sure if they were to be trusted. Then again, he couldn't be picky with friends these days. Taylor slid out quickly and slammed the door shut, leaving Rick to sit in the truck and gather his thoughts for a few moments. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed before getting out with the others. The group piled out of the back and took a gulp of fresh air, their lungs filled quickly after being stuffed in the back of the truck the whole ride. Everyone scattered off to their loved ones and hugged with sighs of relief that they all had returned in one piece- and unbitten. Taylor glanced around a few times and didn't run to hug anyone. The person she wanted to tell the insane story to was not at the site… _probably off hunting again. What. An. Idiot. Doesn't he know I have to break the worst news I've ever had to in my entire life? Post or pre zombie land._

"How'd ya'll get out there anyway?" Shane looked at a few of the members before Glen hesitantly answered.

"New guy, he got us out," he squinted past the sun as he spoke to the quizzical Shane.

"New guy?" His voice slightly wavered, he was not sure he wanted a new pack member.

"Oh my god," Rick mumbled to himself when his eyeline met Shane's. Taylor looked back and forth between the two and hearing his whisper she turned to face him.

"Do you know Shane?" She titled her head in confusion, there was no possible way he could know _anyone _from their group, right? He must have been mistaken. But neither took their eyes off of each other. Both men were in shock and disbelief. The small moment was broken when Rick heard a familiar voice shout out.

"Dad?! DAD!" The small voice was strained with utter confusion and happiness, all at once. It was little doe-eyed Carl, he ran forward with arms wide open and tears streaming down his face. Rick leaned down and smothered his son in hugs in pure astonishment that he was still alive and here! With him now! The odds were impossible but apparently in his favor today. The whole group watched carefully of everything that was happening. Needless to say, they were just as shocked as the boy and his father- and probably just as happy. They needed some lift me ups after all they'd been through in the past few weeks.

"I can't believe you're here," Carl cried into his fathers shoulder, tears of joy for once. "MOM!" He called back over his shoulder, making Rick follow the direction with his eyes, and like clockwork she appeared from behind one of the trailers. The tears streamed further down Rick's face he could not believe his fortune today. Both his son and wife were alive and right here with him again. Lori mimicked Carl's earlier reaction- racing into the arms of her husband who she had thought was dead all along. They hugged together, all three, crying tears of bliss and mumbling "I love you's" to each other.

Taylor watched on in awe, tears rolling down her own cheeks. She watched with a mixed reaction of joy and sorrow. She wished she still had her parents, her fiance her siblings. She was left with nothing and how great it must be for Lori and Carl to have Rick back. She wiped her face with the back of her hand before slowly creeping away from the group. After they had finished their beautiful reunion the introductions began. She already knew everyone at camp and she had gotten slightly acquainted with Rick on the drive back, she felt no need to be there.

Over at the campfire all the seats were empty with the smoldering embers burning out. Everyone was far too distracted to keep the fire going. She threw a few logs on and grabbed one of the hand guns. She wasn't supposed to have one since everyone considered her very under trained with a weapon. But if she was going to go off by herself she was going to need something to protect herself, that seemed like it would be suitable. And she knew how to shoot decently, not to any of the boys standards, but well enough to keep herself alive.

She followed the path that lead out of the camp site, all the while checking her surroundings. She tucked the gun carefully in the front of her pants, one thing Taylor never understood was having it tucked in the back. What if you are pinned by a walker and you're panicking? You would probably fumble to get it and cause yourself to become one. She did not want to take that chance. She slid the hair tie off her wrist and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. As much as she liked having her hair down it would only get in her face and possibly blind her, an unnecessary risk to take. She continued wandering on the trail until she could no longer even see the campsite as a speck. If anybody back there knew she had strolled so far away by herself they would ream her out for hours on end.

Taylor heard a rustle in the bushes and spun on her heels, pulling the gun out swiftly and aiming right into a head shot. A not so dead one.

"Oh my god!" She shoved her counterpart away and scowled at him.

"Hey blondie."

"Damn you Daryl." She tucked the gun back away and inhaled deeply, she had almost shot her only true ally. An ally that she would be devastated if lost. He beamed a bright smile at her words.

"Sorry," he held his hands up in mock surrender.

"How long have you been following me?" She knew his answer already, probably since she first set on the trail. One of his specialties was hunting, crossbows and tracking. That was Daryl.

"Only long enough to know you would have been dead a few times had I not been shadowing you." He slung his crossbow back over his shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "Glad to see you made it out of the city alive." She rolled her eyes at him but was slightly more thrilled about the rare affection he'd shown than she'd openly admit.

"There were walkers following me? I didn't even hear you kill them…" she trailed off ignoring his last comment, not wanting to broach the subject of his brother yet.

"Redneck ninja," he grinned before turning stalk still, he put his finger up to his lips and whispered 'shhh'. His eyes were fixed somewhere out in the woods that she could not follow with her own. The little blonde did as directed and kept her mouth shut, crouching down to avoid being seen by whatever he had spotted. He quietly pulled his crossbow back off and lined up the shot, pulling back the arrow and releasing with ease. She was always amazed at how graceful he made any weapon seem.

"What did you just hit?" She looked up at him and awaited an answer but did not get one. Instead she got pulled back along the trail, being dragged by sleeve of her shirt.

"Man you are slow today woman," he let go of her and walked behind to have a better vantage point for the living dead. "And I just shot our dinner, you're welcome." He received another eye roll which he chose to return right back. They continued walking at a leisurely pace until they heard a scream coming from up ahead. They both recognized it immediately as little Carl. They exchanged worried glances.

"Carl," they said in unison before taking off running, _Why does he always wander off? _Taylor thought to herself as they raced towards the piercing cries. If he was in trouble she was surely going to help him, whether he was her own or not, and regardless of the fact that he was constantly putting himself in dangerous situations. As they got closer to the screams their breathe became ragged from the long run back and as the rounded the corner they were both quite shocked with the view. They were staring down the barrel of a shot gun.

"Alive here," Taylor gave Shane a dirty look before he retreated his weapon. He lowered the gun and rolled his eyes with a rather loud scoff. He was obviously not thrilled to see either of them and the feelings were definitely mutual. "Oh joy, a welcoming committee." Daryl raised an eyebrow to her overly sarcastic comment that he knew would only piss Shane off more.

"Son of a bitch," he looked over at his now demolished deer. A walker had gotten it and it would be no use, a perfectly good meal wasted. "That's my deer!" He approached the dead body with no caution and began to kick it in anger while screaming out vile words. He had been tracking it for quite some time, in between protecting Taylor and watching his own back. It was quite a feat to multi task like that and now he had nothing to show for it. The hunt was officially a bust.

"Calm down son, that's not helping," Dale commented quietly from the side. He was always the reasonable one and for being so timid he also spoke his mind often. Most of the survivors were afraid to piss that boy off but it did not frighten Dale. Rick kept a careful watch on the situation. He didn't know either of these men so he was not ready to interfere, but if it got ugly enough he was willing to.

"What do you know about it old man? Take that stupid hat and go back to the pond." Taylor gave him a disappointed look, she never liked when he had one of his outbursts, always acting so different when it's just the two of them. When he saw her face he clenched his jaw, backing up a few steps. Shane held his shotgun in front of the two men to keep him back in case he decided to lunge. He was successful in keeping them apart and watched Daryl return to the mourning of his now worthless meal. He mumbled to himself over top of the deer corpse and pulled the arrows out.

"That's a damn shame," the disdain was still present in his voice. He patted his back and spoke up again, "I got some squirrels, that'll have to do."

The walkers head began to move its jaw open and closed. Amy groaned in disgust and Andrea took her away quickly. The men all watched as Daryl took an arrow back out and shot it through the eye.

"Gross," Taylor covered her mouth at the sight of freshly spilled brains.

"Come on people, what the hell?" He glanced at each of the remaining men and held his boot firmly on the head before effortlessly sliding the arrow out. "It's gotta be the brain, don't ya'll know nothing?" He stalked off back to the campsite not giving the deer or the walker a second thought. He had a new mission, he was going to show off his squirrels to Merle, proving that he could hold his own without him there. As he entered the inner circle Taylor made an abrupt stop and headed for one of the tents. Shane jogged after her and pulled her aside.

"Where you think you're going? You gotta go with him now."

"No." She looked into his eyes and for once she did not see the hate radiating from them. Shane was temporarily putting his anger towards both her and Daryl aside for a moment. He knew the safety of everyone depended on him not losing his shit once the news of his brother was broken to him. "You're going to tell him about Merle and I don't want to be there." She looked over her shoulder at a very confused Daryl as he called out his brothers name- to no avail.

"You need to go over with him so you can keep him calm. He's obviously not going to take it lightly, I don't want anyone getting hurt." Shane gripped her shoulder tightly in an effort to talk to her into it with as much sympathy as he could muster. "He needs you."

"No, I'm not going to see the look on his face when you tell him that his brother is most likely dead. I won't do it."

"Taylor," his grip became more forceful as his anger with her reared its head again, "we may not like each other but I am no dumbass. You are the only one he gives the time of day to around here. Do you think he wants any of us to tell him that without anybody by his side? He wants to hear that bullshit by himself?" She winced as his fingers dug into her skin now. She tore herself away from him and shook her head slowly. "Girl you listen to me, he didn't choose to go hunting, we sent him off because he was going off left and right with all us guys. Then as soon as you come back he stands down from that fight with Dale. You think that's a coincidence?"

"I think that I'm part of the reason his brother is still there, I didn't do anything, I sat by and watched. I'm partly responsible Shane! Don't you think that would hurt him a lot more?" Shane bit his tongue to keep himself from exploding on her, she was obviously not getting it and was not going to listen to him.

"Fine, be a cold hearted bitch, you live with that, not me." He spit at the ground by her feet and stormed off. The group had decided he would be the one to tell so he had to man up regardless if she was going to help or not.

"Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrels!" He cheerfully continued walking with the game holstered in front of him now.

"Daryl, slow up a bit I need to talk to you." Shane rubbed the stubble on his chin unsure of how to make the words come out right.

"About what?" He whipped around and gave him a puzzled look. He dropped the squirrels to the side and watched Shane with reservations as he approached him.

"About Merle. There was a problem in Atlanta," he stuck his hands on his hips. He knew he had to choose the next few sentences that came out of his mouth with caution. Daryl looked around at everyone before pacing a few times.

"He dead?"

"Not sure," Shane responded quietly.

"He either is or he ain't," his voice began to raise, drawing Taylor's attention over to the scene as it unfolded. She watched tentatively to his expression just waiting for the moment that they tell him his brother was left chained to a pipe and to fend for himself.

"No easy way to say this so I'll just say it," Rick cut in now as he stepped towards the two men. Daryl's face contorted in confusion as he did not know this man.

"Who are you?" He didn't know him and he didn't appreciate that he was going to be telling him about his brother.

"Rick Grimes," he said calmly. He was not looking to upset him more than he already was.

"Rick Grimes?" He repeated with mockery in his tone. "You got something you wanna tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all. So I handcuffed him on a roof… handcuffed him to a piece of metal. He's still there." Rick's eyes never wavered once, he was trying to stay as cool as possible to keep the situation from escalating. T-Dog wandered up over the hillside with a pile of fire wood stacked in his hands. He knew what was happening already.

"Huh, let me process this… So you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!" The shouting echoed through the woods and Taylor cringed when she heard it. She may have not been right there in the middle of it but even from where she was standing she could tell they were losing control of the situation.

"Yeah," Rick dropped his head in shame, hearing it spoken back to him made it even worse. Before he could react Daryl threw his game at him before taking a lunge towards him. Shane tackled him immediately to the ground and T-Dog ran over to help restrain him and hopefully clear things up.

While still on the ground Daryl slid his spare knife out and pulled himself up out of the dirt. Taylor could no longer stand by and watch, not like she did with his brother which is precisely what the fight was about. She now realized Shane was one hundred percent right and she was an idiot for not listening sooner. Once she saw the knife hit the sunlight she knew that it was not going to end well.


	2. Heading to Atlanta Again

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Just little ole' Taylor.

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CHAPTER TWO.  
HEADING TO ATLANTA… AGAIN.

"Watch the knife," Taylor heard the voice come from someone but wasn't even sure who at this point. The adrenaline was pumping through her veins at a hundred miles an hour, making her ears ring and heart feel like it was beating through her chest. She did not want to stand by and be responsible for yet another person being hurt. No matter which way she approached the situation she had the risk of getting sliced by that knife, but that was okay, it was time to step up for Shane and Rick's safety.

"Daryl," Taylor's voice was barely a whisper from trying to regain normal control of her breathing. If he would become calm enough than nobody would have to try to snatch it or force it out of his hands. She grabbed the back of his shoulder and he spun around, she could see the tears burning at his eyes. This was not like him, and she knew he was only attacking out of anger and uncertainty.

"You… let this happen?" Her face dropped in remorse, similarly to Rick's earlier. She felt exactly as he did; hearing the words spoken aloud made a bigger impact than just thinking it in one's head.

"Give me the knife Daryl," Shane commanded with forcefulness thick in his tone. He stuck his hand out and waited for the knife to be commandeered to him... he was the leader after all. He looked over his shoulder slightly before turning his attention back to the knife sitting in his palm. He took a few moments to think and batted Shane's hand away. The raven haired man's face grew beet red with anger. Nobody at this camp has disobeyed him.

"Here," he handed the weapon over to Taylor who took it gingerly out of his hand. She gripped it tightly and let her eyes fall to look at the dirt, unable to face him. The only comfort the gesture provided her was that at the very least he still trusted her more than Shane.

"I'd like to have a calm, discussion, on this topic, you think we can manage that?" He awaited a response from the still very fuming man before him, once he received a slow nod he continued on, "what I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others."

"It's not Rick's fault," T-Dog interrupted suddenly. He knew as well as anybody that Merle _not _getting off that roof was because he dropped the key. Forget the fact that he was cuffed up there in the first place, the responsibility fell on him, in his opinion anyway. "I had the key… I dropped it," he tapped his foot as he spoke, it was hard admitting the truth like this.

"You couldn't pick it up?" He turned the whole way around now to face the speaker. He could not believe what he was hearing.

"I dropped it in a drain," his voice was low and shrouded with guilt. Everyone was feeling a little bit guilty at that point. He began to move closer towards the group, as pacing seemed to be the only thing that could ever calm his mind.

"If that's supposed to make me feel better, it don't." He threw his hands down in frustration, as much as he wanted to lash out on everyone there he knew he couldn't. He couldn't do it while she was there, _if she would just go away._

"Maybe this will… I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn't get at him. With a padlock."

"That's gotta count for something," Rick attempted to make T-Dog's efforts more viable. It was better than leaving him up there with an open door, a free for all meal, so to speak. Daryl ignored the comment and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He was not one prone to crying but he could not keep the tears back anymore. It was too much to take in at once. The last of his family... left to rot.

"The hell with all ya'll." He took a deep breath in and made an inward decision. There would be no hesitation after hearing that. "Just tell me where he is. So I can go get 'em." He looked over at Rick now with intensity in his eyes, he was not going to leave the subject alone until his request was granted. Hell he would go alone if he had to, he just needed to know where to find him.

"He'll show you… isn't that right?" Lori looked on with disdain. She only said it because she knew it was true. She didn't want it to be though. Her husband has only been back for a day and he was already going to be leaving her again- risking his life for a bigot hillbilly.

"I'm going back," Rick finally broke the brick wall of silence between her comment and his thinking. He knew what he had to do and that was to be honorable. He needed to go pick up the pieces that he left back in Atlanta… he felt the most responsible out of everyone that was there. Lori didn't even give him a second glance before returning to the trailer. She could not believe that he was really going through with it.

Rick walked away with a heavy heart, he knew she was going to stay mad at him whether or not he returned in one piece. He made his way back into the tent to gather up some things and change since he was not going back on his decision regardless of what anyone thought.

"Hey Taylor," Shane approached her before she could follow the broken hearted Daryl. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" His words did not match his body language as he was not requesting- he was demanding. He dragged her alongside one of the empty trailers.

"What Shane?" She glanced over his shoulder and saw her only hope of avoiding this conversation walk out of sight. He grabbed her by the wrist and tightened around it until the skin underneath was bone white.

"You need to get something straight right now… you _will _listen to me. Next time I tell you to do something, you won't delay, you'll just do it."

"You're hurting me," she went to pull back which only made him hold tighter, he was like a pit bull and resisting was obviously not going to help the situation. She knew that he could easily snap her wrist without a second thought- and his bullshitting skills were at an all time high, he would easily be able to make up some story to explain it. "You are not my father, my brother, or-"

"Or what? Or Daryl?" He eyed her body up and down before continuing, "he won't be here to protect you forever, and as soon as he lets his guard down I will teach you a lesson you won't forget. You'll never question me again Taylor… that's a promise," she watched his eyes darken at the comment.

"I would rather slit my own throat," she spat in his face in a hopeful attempt to get away from him. Right now was not a time to test out his angry impulses but she could not let herself be threatened by him. The regret of leaving Daryl's knife back at the camp was eating at her now, she was cursing herself for such ridiculous mistake.

"You little-" he raised a hand, ready to strike when he heard a shout from behind them. He let his hand down and wiped his face off, releasing her wrist in the process. It was already the same shade of red as Shane's face and she knew it would be a matter of time before it bruised. She would handle that later.

"Taylor?" Daryl rounded the corner and stopped when he saw them. He raised an eyebrow and walked over slowly. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" she peered over at Shane who shook his head at her with malice in his eyes before withdrawing back to the group. After that blow to his ego he needed to find someone who would willingly boost it back up, and since Rick would be leaving he knew exactly who would to search for.

"Where'd you put my knife?" He watched her carefully to read her expressions since she was not speaking now. He knew she was not always an open book and sometimes required a little extra decoding to know what she was thinking.

"Oh… uhm," she pulled herself back to the conversation and frowned. "It's back by the campfire. On one of the chairs." She rubbed her wrist subconsciously and hid it behind her back when she noticed his eyes gravitate towards it.

"What happened?" He gingerly took her wrist in his hands and examined it. "This looks like fingers…"

"Nothing, nothing happened." She knew she had to avoid the impending conversation if she didn't want Shane to have an arrow in his head. There was something more important she needed to address anyway. "I'm going with you guys. You and Rick can't go alone." He let her arm fall back to her side knowing that eventually he would bring it up again and find out what Shane had done. It did not take much to figure out that it happened when he had her back here.

"No." He shook his head and started to walk away. Taylor jogged to catch up to him and met his much longer strides to keep up with him.

"What do you mean no? You didn't even think about it," she protested as per usual.

"I don't have to think about it. Now that I heard what happened with Merle I know that things didn't exactly go as planned. It sounds like you guys barely made it out alive last time. So no, it's not happening." He picked up the abandoned knife and wiped it on his pants before tucking it back into the holster belt.

"You can't make me stay here," she rolled her eyes and continued to follow him again. She was getting rather frustrated with him continuously walking away from her. "What are you going to do… tie me to a tree?"

"Maybe." He walked towards the tent and took one arrow out at a time to wipe them clean as well.

"And leave me to be walker bait?" She stopped in her tracks briefly in shock that he would even consider it.

"You're staying blondie," he pointed the back end of one of the arrows at her and smiled. This was not one of the times that she would return the favor, instead she scowled at him and ran up to fill the gap between them.

"I am really tired of everyone saying that, so is Andrea." She swatted the arrow down to the ground. He simply bent over to pick it up, and cleaned it all over again. He did not let her little tantrums bother him. That was something that set him and Shane apart- because one would not even think to let it go.

"Does anyone else call _you _that? Other than me?" He tucked the rag back in his pocket and glanced up at her, he knew it would only be a matter of time before her glare softened.

"Well, no."

"Then consider it a term of endearment," he unzipped the tent and went in and out within seconds.

"Term of endearment? You need a dictionary apparently. Terms of endearment are things like… honey, dear, baby… not _blondie,_" she made sure her last word was dripping with resentment. Her whole life she had been mocked for the color of her hair, and apparently even in the end of the world it did not stop.

"Yeah… I don't say those things." _Quite obviously, _she let another eye roll slip with the annoyance of being caught somewhere in the middle with him. "And ya know you're always calling me a dumbass."

"That's because you usually are one, and I am never saying that as a good thing." He shrugged at her comment and moved forward to give her a hug before leaving. It was another small token of affection that she rarely got to enjoy, but her anger got the better of her as it usually did and she stepped out of his arms to storm off. They both rejoined the group who was currently in the midst of a debate. It was obvious that everyone was torn over the return to the inner city. T-Dog and Glenn now planned to join the other two. That made four which were much better odds but did not satisfy Taylor enough. She had to be there.

Rick bartered with Dale over a very much needed tool while Glenn and Daryl hopped into the truck. Dale reluctantly handed it over with the comfort that he would be getting something out of the deal. Taylor watched all the interactions vigilantly to pick the right time to make her move. The horn blared from the truck and broke her of the concentration.

"Come on let's go!" Daryl called out from the back of the van. He never felt more impatient before that moment since he was really never prone to it. Being a hunter and a tracker he always had the utmost patience but right then it was all thrown out the window. She stared up from the bed of the truck with her hands on her hips. She couldn't have been more exasperated if she tried. He nodded down to her without saying a word and she bit back some choice words she would have liked to have given him.

Rick climbed in the drivers seat and started up the engine. She had about four seconds to make a decision on what to do. Taylor approached his side and signaled for him to roll down the window, and he did so obediently.

"It seems like you're in charge of this operation."

"Yeah… I guess so." He looked down at her with hooded eyes, he already knew where this was going. "Do you have anything to protect yourself with?"

"I have this," she pulled out a pistol and waved it in front of him. "It's Andrea's… she lent it to me," she smirked when he glimpsed between her and Glenn a few times.

"Glenn, get in the back and don't say anything." He nodded and clambered to get into the bed of the van without a single word. "Don't make me regret this," he told her sternly as she buckled into the passenger seat.

"I wouldn't dream of it Ricky." They exchanged wry smiles before heading up the dirt road. In the back Daryl took one look at Glenn and grimaced. He had a feeling he already knew why he was back there now. He evacuated the very back and made his way to the seats and sighed loudly.

"Are you kiddin' me? Damn it Taylor," he gritted his teeth and backed away, kicking the side of the van once before slumping back down to the floor. As he sat in the back T-Dog and Glenn kept an eye on him not wanting to risk another explosion. Rick was in the dark as to why it was a huge deal but those two did know and they were afraid there would be impeding consequences.

* * *

Shane snuck into Lori's tent and quickly spotted Carl. She glanced down at him and tried to mask the sad look that was plastered on her face.

"Go out and play with Sophia honey," she kissed the top of his head and sent him on his way. She looked up at Shane warily. Ever since the moment that Rick stepped out of that van and back into her life she had been battling the feelings for Shane. Only a day had gone by and she already felt like it was a lifetime of painful decision making that she had dealt with. He knelt down in front of her and kissed her passionately for a few seconds before pulling back to stare into her eyes. The eyes he had come to love getting lost in.

"I still love you. Whether he's here or not… I still do." She felt tears begin to burn in hot streams as they fell down. She wanted to say she did too but something was holding her back. It was obviously guilt that she did not want to deal with. Her husband was gone for less then fifteen minutes and she was here kissing another man.

"I don't know what to do anymore." She hung her head in her hands and began to weep quietly. The truth was never more apparent. It was unbearable for her to even think of who she was going to choose, and she new eventually she would have to.

"Hey… look at me." He held her face lightly with his hands and let a small smile form on his lips, "I know you'll make the right choice. For you… for Carl. Whatever way you want to look at it I know you'll do right."

"I hate myself for putting you through this." She let the tears fall again and he brushed them off quickly. He kissed her gently on the forehead before letting his fall to hold lean it against hers.

"Don't say that. This is nobody's fault," he whispered to her and held her in a tight hug. He didn't know what to do, the thoughts that prodded his mind were confusing and repetitive. His best friend was back… but at what cost? He knew he fell in love with Lori and the same was for her. The sexual tension began to heat up as the tent filled with emotions, hormones, testosterone She knew it was so wrong but she also knew it was going to feel so right. She leaned back out of the hug and pulled his shirt up over his head before feverishly kissing him.

"You sure?" He asked her with concerned eyes. The brunette never said a word just a small little nod and they began peeling each others clothes off. A lump grew in her throat as his kisses trailed down her neck to her chest. Right now her husband was probably out there battling the living dead- to save a life nonetheless- and she was about to make love to his best friend.


	3. Houston, We Have a Problem

Disclaimer: I still just own Taylor.  
Sigh.  
I am hoping to one day become rich enough to own Rick & Daryl. ;)

* * *

CHAPTER THREE.  
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

The van slowly crawled along the side of the beaten railroad tracks leading to the city. The fence stuck out like a sore thumb and was just another reminder of what the world had come to; keeping the alive out and the dead in. They might as well have been entering a prison with unlocked cell doors.

"Better be okay. That's my only word on the matter," Daryl locked eyes with T-Dog. They were still glossy from the thought of potentially finding his brother dead.

"I told you the geeks can't get at 'em. Only thing that's gonna get through that door is us," he watched Daryl cautiously with hawk eyes. The last thing they needed was a confrontation now… or ever rather.

Rick cut the engine and glanced over his shoulder before swiping the keys out and into his pocket.

"We should walk from here," Glenn commented aloud as he scooted toward the front. The five took turns exiting the Ferenc truck all the while keeping an eye out for any stray walkers. They jogged up to the fence and inhaled sharply. Suddenly the whole plan was not seeming like such an easy task anymore, and it was too late to go back. The foul smell of corrosion and death was smacking them in the face relentlessly. Taylor tried her best to breathe through her mouth since the overwhelming odor was already making her gag, and they weren't even inside yet. She stuck by Rick's side knowing all too well that Daryl was still irritated with her.

Rick tapped the fence lightly with his knuckles.

"You sure you're ready for round two?" She pulled Andrea's gun out as she spoke.

"The question is… are you?" He looked down at his smaller counterpart with a smug smirk. She returned the arrogant look that he was currently sending her.

"Oh, I was born ready."

* * *

"Hey mom," Carl poked his head through the tent door only to see Shane sitting on the floor readjusting his boots. He signaled a 'shhh' to Carl who nodded slowly and took his head back out. Lori was fast asleep and curled up in a sleeping bag. If she Shane believed in angels he was sure she had to be one. He quickly exited the tent right behind the small boy.

"Remember when you told me about the frogs?" He stared up at him with an innocent look on his face.

"How's about we go catch some frogs little man?" Shane smiled and winked at him. The little brunette laughed and began to race to the quarry. He was relieved he didn't have to admit to being wrong about the frog legs debate, and Shane already knew exactly what he was thinking. He was glad he knew him well enough that he didn't have to ask out loud. He stopped running when he reached the edge and stood patiently waiting for Shane to catch up.

"Whew boy, you're too quick for me," he bent over to grab his knees while regaining his unsteady breathes.

"Hey Shane…" he started to climb delicately down the rocks being meticulous to pay attention to both his feet and his mouth. "What's going to happen with you and mom? I mean… now that dad's back?" He didn't turn around to face him which was more of a favor to himself than he knew. Shane felt his blood run cold and face burn hot with jealousy and rage at the question. He hadn't mentioned his father to him in so long, and now he was going to have to deal with it all over again.

"I don't know buddy… I just don't know," he sighed to himself, this was a little harder to deal with than Lori. This was just a fragile little kid.

"I kind of liked it when you were my dad. I wish I could have you both," the sadness rang through his voice bringing pain to Shane's heart. Lori would not be happy if she had heard his confession.

"You best not let your dead hear you say that, it'll break his heart," Shane was not even sure why he was correcting the boy. Pushing Rick out of the picture was something that deep down he knew he truly wanted. He knew it wouldn't happen. It couldn't… He couldn't do that to his best friend, to Lori, or Carl.

Shane smiled down at him and ruffled his hair trying to lighten the mood.

"Let's catch some frogs baby!" He splashed some water up at him and joined him in a small fit of laughter. He wished moments like this could last forever.

* * *

They cut a hole in the fence just big enough for living bodies to squeeze through. Each one took their time swooping through as quietly as possible. It was a mission that was certainly easier said than done. Rick swung his legs over the guardrail and decided it was time for a vote.

"Merle first, or the guns?" He watched everyone finish coming out and was not surprised by the first response he received.

"Merle! We ain't even having this conversation," Daryl spat out in anger. These people were as unbelievable as they come. First they offer to help and then they put him as a second priority to a damn bag of guns.

"We are," Rick's voice was stern and not compromising; he was clearly not in the mood for arguing. It was neither the time nor place. In his eyes it was not one or the other as the main concern because they were both going to be attended to before leaving. He turned back to Glenn who ran as fast as his legs would take him to catch up. "You know the geography, it's your call."

"Merle's closest," he said with almost empty lungs. "The guns would mean doubling back, Merle first," Glenn was not willingly agreeing with either one just pointing out the facts.

Taylor followed along quietly behind the men. She knew her opinion would not make the slightest difference, it wasn't like she really cared one way or another anyway. Rick may have made it seem like a majority rules situation but she knew better. _Even in the apocalypse it's still a man's world, _she thought sarcastically to herself. It was blatantly obvious that he was calling all the shots- just like Shane always did. She realized now that she definitely felt more comfortable letting Rick take control.

They snuck into the deserted mall and approached their first walker immediately. They knew she would be the first of many on this suicide mission. The time to talk was over and hand signals were the quick replacement. Rick's fingers guided everyone's attention over to the lone zombie. The female stumbled her way over to them making Daryl creep forward with the crossbow ready.

"Damn, Merle would love this skank," he whispered to himself as he got closer to his target. He lined the bow right up to her decaying face before letting it loose. The body dropped with a loud thud as blood and brain matter seeped onto the floor below her. No matter how many times Taylor had seen it, it always made her skin crawl and stomach flip- one day that would be her, or worse the man who just shot her. She turned her head to avoid looking at the destruction and Rick set a gentle hand on her shoulder to ease her on. They had to move quickly because everyone knew staying in one spot would only lead to trouble.

The stairs were taken two steps at a time when no more walkers were spotted. T-Dog stepped forward past the others to break the chains off. Daryl sucked in deeply before kicking the roof's door open with force. Taylor jumped at the sound and could not get the broken record to stop playing in her head: _please let him be alive, please let him be alive, please… _

"Merle! Merle!" Daryl called out to the abandoned rooftop. He searched every corner in utter disbelief that he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Rick, T-Dog, Glenn, and Taylor all slowly walked over to the last area they had seen him. The pipe had the bloody handcuffs attached but no Merle. A solitary severed hand sat nearby as a last reminder of him.

"Damn," Rick huffed and dropped his head in disappointment. He was sure he would still be here. He was certain they would find him alive… he had always been an optimist like that.

"No! NO!" Daryl spotted the hand quickly after they had. To say he was shocked was the understatement of the century. His brother was handless, possibly dead, who knew what really happened. All he knew was that he was long gone. "No…" He paced in angry circles by the butchered hand and blood covered hacksaw. He could not even imagine the pain and confliction his brother must have felt to voluntarily cut off his own hand.

Taylor's muffled cry broke Rick from his trance and he reached his arm out to pull her into his chest. He hugged her close to him already knowing why she was crying. She was clearly not mourning the loss of Merle Dixon. The almost knife fight from earlier had told him everything he needed to know. Rick had been in that position before and knew from experience that regardless if she was aware of it or not she loved him.

"Shhh," he let her cry into his shirt and squeezed her tightly in a warm embrace. He hadn't known her for more than a day but felt a connection. He remembered the day that Lori lost her father. Rick hated the man with a passion but watching his wife be in that much pain from losing him was enough to make his chest tighten with his own pain. He was sure that was exactly how she was feeling, and he could only assume she felt as helpless to comfort him as he did before.

Daryl's face felt like it was on fire and his chest like it was collapsing in on itself. The last of his blood… He fought back the tears for as long as he could but the prickled at his eyes until they had nowhere to go but out. Rick pursued his lips together and prepared a speech in his mind. This could not go on if they were going to get that bag of guns. The group had to be united not falling apart at the seams like it currently was. He pulled Taylor away to one of the corners and looked her square in the eyes.

"Hey… hey. Calm down for a second," he wiped the tears away and placed both of his hands gently on her shoulders. "I know what you're feeling right now. I do. But you have to be strong, we all need you right now, Daryl most of all." She wiped the remaining wetness off her face with the side of her hand. "He's a mess right now and you gotta be the strong one. I know we don't know each other but I need you to trust me on this."

"I… I don't know how to help him-"

"I know you don't. No one really ever does but if we're going to get those guns and get out of this city _alive _… then you're just gonna have to try your best. We have to be a unit and if even one block isn't steady than the whole tower is gonna fall." He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and nodded towards the distraught man across the way. Taylor pulled herself together with the strength of Rick's speech. She knew now that he would be a much better leader than Shane; he did not have to force her to do anything just simply used his words to build her up to it. Before she could make it halfway there Daryl grunted as the fury raged through him and lifted the crossbow straight to T-Dog's head. Rick pulled his revolver out of the holster and aimed it at Daryl's head without hesitation.

"Oh god," Taylor felt every ounce of courage that was installed in her flood right back out at the moment. Stand offs were not her specialty- wasn't that officer Grime's job? He was apart of it now leaving her to take control. All this calming down business was really starting to wear on her nerves and leave her emotionally exhausted. One wrong move or word and there would be two dead bodies on her hands.

* * *

Shane sat alone by the rocks feeling deflated. Carl had rejoined his mother and she never even said a single word to him. She was obviously feeling guilty about their encounter earlier and was choosing the cold shoulder as a quick fix. He ran a hand through his dark locks before shifting his attention to the girls doing laundry. There was loud bickering that sprung up out of nowhere. He glanced over to see Ed causing trouble, nothing new there. He surveyed silently at first to see if the problem would resolve itself until he saw Ed's hand connect with Carol's face.

He wasn't sure if it was the rage of Rick's return, Lori's sudden rejection, or Carl's comment but he jumped off the boulder like a bat out of hell and stormed over to the pursuing fight. With no words he ripped Ed away and threw him to the floor. With no mercy he began connecting right after left hook with his jaw and nose to no end. Ed's blood began to pour out and stain Shane's fists, and for some reason it pushed him to continue further with much more vehemence. He wasn't sure why he couldn't stop and briefly caught himself imagining it was Rick below him. That Rick's blood was soaking his hands.

"If you ever lay your hands on your wife, any other girl, or person at this camp again and I will not stop. I will beat you to death," he threatened as he rose up above Ed's broken body. He gave one hard kick for good measure and received a low groan of anguish from him.

He could not believe he just lost his cool like that in front of everyone. He began to worry if they would question his leadership, or worse, fear him enough to replace him with Rick… He could not get the picture out of his head as it burned in the back of his brain. Shane was not sure if he could contain himself anymore. What was he going to do if he blew his temper again only on Rick? He walked away from Carol crying over her piece of garbage husband. He was in disbelief that he just pictured beating his best friend to a bloody pulp. He prayed silently that he would never have to face that problem but knew that it was only a matter of time…


	4. Adios, Amigos

**Disclaimer:** Why oh why can't I own anything besides Taylor? Insert sad face here.  
Also thanks to everyone who favorited/followed this story. You make me happy :]  
And definitely thank you to Padme4000, halfemptyflask, fabsch1, and jasminedragonemployee for the oh so lovely reviews.  
3

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR.  
ADIOS, AMIGOS.

The tall brunette gathered up all the dirty clothes that were laying aimlessly around the tent. She ran a hand through her hair and rolled her eyes. Sometimes she really hated having to be the responsible homemaker type. She began to head in the direction of the creek bed where she planned to wash all the terribly dirty articles of clothing.

She was not a fan of cleaning them down at the quarry with the other women- they had always treated her differently than they did each other. She knew part of it was unnecessary jealousy since they always acted like she was the Queen B who received special treatment for screwing the leader of the group. She rolled her eyes just thinking about it because it was not even remotely true. If they really knew everything she was going through right now they would never assume that she had it easy. She heard her name called from somewhere behind her and added more purpose to her walk, taking longer strides like nothing was happening; she did not have time to deal with the person whom the voice belonged to.

"Lori…" Shane called out to her as she walked with a pile of clothes jumbled up in her hands. "Lori!" He shuffled his feet to pick up with her quickening pace. "LORI." He ran up and stepped in front of her to block her path. "I know you heard me. What are you doing?"

"Laundry, my son and husbands laundry," she side stepped to get around him when he thwarting her escape a second time.

"What's this about?" He looked into her eyes with a sad confusion playing in his own. "Why are you doing this all of sudden?"

"What am I supposed to do Shane," he went to speak but she cut him off quickly, "I thought my husband was dead and then he just shows up one day! Do you even understand how hard that is?"

"'Course I do! How could you even question it? He was my best friend Lori…" he down at the ground trying to find the words to make her stay. "I swear to you I thought he was dead… I couldn't hear anything, I don't know, I'm not a goddamn doctor!"

"It doesn't matter what you thought anymore and maybe you shouldn't have even said anything," being so callous to him was not her intention but she had felt like she run out of options. He just wasn't going to stop otherwise. She gasped in surprise when he ripped the clothes from her arms and tossed them carelessly to the ground. She backed up until the cold creek water was nipping at her heels. They were in a secluded, tuckered away part of the creek just behind the campsite. Shane knew no one would be coming down to join them and he made sure of it by assigning useless tasks.

"I'm going through hell and I'm falling apart here, can't you see that? I can't imagine losing you or even not being able to talk you to anymore. I have a heart you know," he couldn't believe he was confessing his love like this. He was spilling his guts to her and could not stop the word vomit.

"Don't do this. Don't say these things," she turned her head away from him to hide the crushed look in her eyes. Lori knew that if he spotted her caving he would pounce at the chance and bring her the whole way down.

"Stay with me," he was practically begging at this point and he desperately wanted her to realize that he was not one known to do such a degrading thing. "Rick doesn't have to know! Just until you decide what you really want. At least give it a few weeks…" he swept two fingers under her chin to force their eyes to meet.

"Why won't you just let it go?" She threw her arms down in defeat. She could not comprehend what the driving force was behind his intensity. He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced their lips to meet in a rough, passionate kiss. They held the kiss for as long as possible until their lungs ached for air. She let out a breath of air and bit her lip, looking away at anything other than his eyes that were burning into her.

"Because I'm too in love with you to give up now."

* * *

"Guys…" Taylor's small voice was ignored by both men who continued to hold their aim.

"I won't hesitate, I don't care if ever walker in the city hears it," Rick threatened with a promise deep in his voice.

"Can you stop?" She began to feel strangely invisible and mute when there was still no change. Okay, new approach. "STOP!" She shoved both the gun and crossbow down and stood between the two with her arms folded across her chest. "Didn't you just get done telling me that we needed to band together. Last time I checked holding a gun at someone's temple is not the best way of doing that."

"Did you want T-Dog-"

"Shush," Taylor ignored whatever excuse was going to be drawled out and turned her focus to the one who really needed scolding. "What is killing him going to solve? It's not going to take anything back," she titled her head slightly to the side and softened her tone. "We're going to find him. If he was smart enough to get out then he's smart enough to survive."

He dropped his weapon to the side and bit the inside of his cheek in an attempt to keep quiet. He blinked a few times looking between Taylor and Rick who were both counting on him to calm down.

"You got a du rag or something?" He turned to T-Dog and his body language had visibly softened. He dug into his pocket before producing a blue bandana and handing it over reluctantly. Daryl bent down and inspected his brothers detached hand before delicately wrapping it up. He commented to himself quietly about the hacksaw and tourniquet but none of them could really make out his mumbles. He signaled to Glenn's backpack before confiscating it to stick the bloody reminder in.  
Glenn and Taylor's facial expressions matched- neither was too fond of carrying a man's hand around like it was a pet rock. It may have been no big deal to the other men but there was something about a dead hand being right behind him at all times that really bugged Glenn out.

They descended down the stairs at a rapid pace and wound up on a floor with many rooms to cover. Everyone separated much to the dismay of Rick and cleaned out the rooms one by one until it was deemed safe. The kitchen they gathered in smelled of freshly burnt skin and it did not take much to tell it was not the skin of a walker burning. Taylor found herself staring at the stove that was dripping with blood.

She bent down to get a better look at what she was actually witnessing. Due to the fact that it was Merle's blood droplets that lead them there she was pretty sure that he had done something crazy. Rick scooted Taylor to the side and picked up a piece of darkened metal with small flakes barely clinging to it.

"What's that burnt stuff?" Glenn asked warily. He already had a vague idea but had no desire to actually be correct.

"Skin," he flipped it over to better inspect it and reaffirm his suggestion. "He cauterized the stump." Glenn grimaced at the mere thought of the action as Rick placed it back down on the stove. Taylor covered her mouth and ran to the corner of the room to vomit after the picture unwillingly filled her head. She had seen countless zombie deaths but the image of a live human being doing _that _made her stomach flip one too many times.

"Go help her," Rick turned to Glenn and nodded towards the temporarily ill girl. He began make his way over with obvious hesitation but was stopped midway by Daryl's hand.

"Uh-uh. Stay," he handed the crossbow over to Glenn who was more than happy to not assist someone who was upheaving their latest meal; he was a sympathy puker after all. T-Dog, Glenn, and Rick all examined the broken glass and window that lead out to a fire escape. The trail was not cold after all and Glenn knew he could make a game plan to get that bag of guns and scout for Merle all at once. He knelt on the ground and drew a makeshift map with various objects placed about in specific places. He began to explain his bold strategy to Rick and T-Dog while they awaited the return of Taylor and Daryl.

"I'm fine," she said in between straggled breathes of air. She was doubled over with her hands on her knees as her stomach reminded her that she had always been queasy in the past- so it was not going to change now.

"Yeah, you're lookin' real peachy," he collected all of her hair in his hand and held it back away from the direct line of fire. Once her body stopped retching and no more appalling sounds could be heard he let her hair fall. She took her time standing back up and he rubbed her back sympathetically. "You done goin' exorcist on us?"

"Ugh… foul," she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and gave him both an apologetic and appreciative smile at all once. She wanted so desperately to still be pissed at him for trying to control her and not let her do as she pleased, but there was no way she could manage it. Even when he was not too thrilled with her he still took care of her.

"I'm sorry," she stood up completely straight and spit the bad taste out of her mouth a few times before finally making real eye contact.

"How are you gonna be sorry for throwing up?" He gave her a wayward look to the unexpected apology.

"No," she chuckled quietly and shook her head. "I mean for acting like a bitch back at camp, you didn't deserve that." It had always taken awhile for her to reflect on her actions and realize that she was in the wrong and this was no exception. The regret of rejecting his hug weighed heavily on her shoulders now. It may have not seemed like much of an ordeal to an ordinary person but she knew that he was not keen to affection and pushing him away when he actually tried was only going to deter him from trying again.

"Taylor when are you gonna open your damn eyes and notice things? I never have and never will ask you to say sorry for being you… little ridiculous tantrums and all." A moment of silence fell between them of unspoken forgiveness for each other that words would not have been able to do justice for.

"God, kiss and make up already," Glenn tried his best to whisper shout to gain their attention. They both peered towards his voice before Daryl stalked over to them. Taylor inwardly scolded Glenn for making a comment like that even though she knew inside she wanted it to happen- minus the barf session beforehand. She rolled her eyes at him as she joined the tail end of the conversation.

"You're not doing this alone," Rick held his hands on his hips and stared down at the persistent boy. He was not going to change his mind on the matter.

"I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you that much," he tried his best to ignore Daryl's nonchalant insult.

"It's a good idea," he pressed on knowing full well that he was the most capable out of everyone there to get the job done. "Okay, just hear me out. If we go out there in a group we're slow… drawing attention. If I'm alone I can move fast." Rick crouched down to get a better idea of what Glenn had in mind. "Look, that's the tank," he set a paper clip down in front of him, "five blocks from where we are now." He continued to add and maneuver the pieces around like an army general ready to go to war. "That's the bag of guns. Here's the alley I dragged you into when we first met, that's where Daryl, T-Dog, and I will go."

"Why me?"

"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun," he stated matter-of-factly. He already had the answer prepared in his head already expecting resistance from the rowdy counterpart. His response seemed to be good enough when no protest was raised. "While Daryl and T-Dog wait here in the alley, I run up the street and grab the bag."

"But you got us elsewhere," Rick noted aloud when he never heard two names mentioned in the grand scheme.

"You and Taylor, right. You'll be in this alley here," he plopped the eraser down a few streets away from the other pieces.

"Two blocks away, why?" He was slightly skeptical of the group splitting up and then being that far away from each other. The odds became smaller of surviving a mob when less people were involved.

"I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off and if that happens I won't go back to T-Dog and Daryl, I'll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are." Glenn looked up hopefully from face to face. He knew he could do this and he was damn sure that the plan could work he just needed everyone to agree to it. "Whichever way I go I got you in both directions to cover me. Afterwards we'll all meet back here," he inhaled a deep breathe from feeling slightly winded after all the talking.

"Hey kid, whadja do before all of this?" Daryl's voice had lost the snarky tone from earlier and gained sincerity.

"Delivered pizzas… why?" Glenn's eyes darted to each person in confusion. Rick and Daryl simply exchanged impressed glances before standing up to prepare themselves for the task at hand. They divvied up amongst each other and began to part ways inside the building since they would have to exit differently. Daryl pulled Rick aside and swallowed his pride decided it was time to swallow his pride. He offered his hand and Rick took it for a firm handshake. It was time to put their differences aside if they wanted everyone to make it out alive. He locked eyes with the man he hardly knew but there was already a mutual respect between them- his mouthing off aside he did have enough sense to recognize a good leader when he saw one.

"Honestly I don't like the way we're split up. Keep an eye on her clumsy ass for me. She's always gettin' hurt or wandering off." He let his hesitancy subside and put his faith in Rick. He was trusting that Taylor would be in good hands.

"Got it?" Rick raised an eyebrow and awaited a response from the dazed girl. "Taylor," he broke her out of the foggy haze that her mind had slipped into. "Don't leave my side," he told her sternly when he knew she was actually giving him her full attention. Daryl winked to her as a goodbye, possibly a last one, though no one really wanted to face reality and think of it that way.

"Ten-four," she said with a little smile when she resumed facing the taller male. Once outside she followed Rick closely only turning around occasionally to cover their backside. When the coast was clear she let her arms rest in front of her. Rick noticed the quietness which was never a good thing- with women or zombies. He scanned the perimeter with his eyes before turning his attention back to his partner.

"You want to talk about it?" He let his eyes settle on her now that he could not hear or see any threats.

"About what?" Rick thought she was playing dumb but at this point she did not know which Daryl thing he was referring too. Funny thing was that she knew it had to do with him because it always did lately.

"You two seem to be uh… indecisive." Rick hesitated with his words because if he was going to be perfectly honest he wasn't even sure why he wanted to know in the first place. There was an invisible gravitational pull that was leading him on.

"_He_ is indecisive," she corrected him firmly. Everyone at the camp knew that Daryl was not an easy nut to crack and that Taylor was just wasting her time.

"And you're?" She moved closer to him so they were walking side by side. They may have not been best friends, or even acquaintances for that matter, but it was nice to have someone to talk to who wasn't going to judge her choices for once.

"A lost cause, a burden, a portrait of someone I never thought I'd be. Take your pick." She minced no words when she spoke of herself because after all was said and done she felt like the other women were not lying when they told her she _was _those things.

"First off, I'm thinking the first two aren't so true, and as a guy you should probably find some relief in that… and what's that last part supposed to mean?"

"Before zombie land I was always dreaming of meeting a gentleman who would sweep me off my feet. I imagined myself falling in love with a wonderful man who was well spoken, dressed, and educated… and showered me with affection every chance he got."

"Sounds like an unrealistic goal even when there was billions of people on the planet," he squinted up at the sun trying to keep in tune with the time through its position in the sky. He half-smiled at her vision of the perfect man and wondered if that's what Lori had always wanted before him as well.

"You're missing the point," she sighed in frustration. No one ever really understood where she was coming from except Daryl. He knew he wasn't right for her and for a second she considered that as a reason why he didn't take it any further. He may have been crude at times but he was not the type to intentionally give a person false hope unless he truly believed in it.

"No I got it. Literally the exact opposite of Daryl with every single word you used," he chuckled trying to imagine his rough and tough being transformed into first class and fashionable. It wasn't such an easy image to muster up.

"He's a redneck for god's sake," her tone came out a bit harsher than she had meant it to. It was true that before she met him even the idea of biker, redneck, or bad boy made her cringe and he happened to be all three rolled into one. She was trying so hard to put all the stereotypes and judgment in the past but it was difficult when he was always giving her reasons to make it resurface.

"And you're a prom queen," she laughed at his words and shook her head. It did not come as a surprise to her since that's always the first impression people seem to take away from her.

"I was never prom queen, or head cheerleader, or even that one popular girl. I'd go with uptown girl… just to be easy on myself." They halted at the corner where Glenn had instructed them to stay and anticipate his potential arrival.

"I'm sure you hear that a lot but you gotta admit you look the type. Sorry if I offended you," his apology was genuine. He noticed that after her laughter there was a wounded look in her eyes and he wasn't sure if he had caused it. "Everything you're sayin' makes sense but I don't think that's what the problem really is." A small smirk formed on her bright pink lips at his words. Not only was he inquisitive but he was also very observant, and she couldn't help taking a liking to it.

"I just… I'm in too deep now…" She racked her brain for something, anything, which would make him understand what the true issue was. "It's gotten to the point where I don't know if I can live in a world where he doesn't."

"Yeah," he sighed as his mind wandered back to Lori again, "once that feeling starts it never really stops."

"That's what I was afraid of-" She was abruptly cut off by the sound of repetitive screaming. It echoed off the walls and down the street until it was ringing in their ears, but neither Rick nor Taylor recognized it. They exchanged a worried look before bounding down the alley as fast as their legs could possibly carry them. They rounded the corner and saw an all too familiar face pleading for help and pounding on the window of a peeling out car.

Glenn had been kidnapped.


	5. Then There Were Three

Disclaimer: Nope, nada, zilch, zero. Well... one. But nobody else!  
Author's Note: Again, thanks to everyone who has favorited/followed this story. :)  
And thanks to the lovely reviewers.  
Padme4000, halfemptyflask, jasminedragonemployee (your comments crack me up!),  
fabsch1, velvetemr73, and workitblackjesus.

As Rick would say, I guess you're all a bunch of sweethearts. ;)

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE.  
****AND THEN THERE WERE THREE.**

Lori raked her hands through Shane's hair as her body collapsed on top of his, both panting quietly. They were laying in a beautiful patch of green grass and flowers along the creek bed. They were completely intertwined in each other. The words he had said to her- she couldn't tell him no. She laid next to him now with her head rested on his chest and stared up into the bright blue sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight and it was truly a gorgeous day out. He watched her attentively as her eyes fluttered closed, she was clearly worn out. His sex always had that affect on her since the first time it happened. He let her fall asleep the way she was and observed her chest rise and fall in perfect sync with his. Her lips were slightly parted and he could feel her warm breath flow across his skin sending a tingle down his spine.

"I really do love you," he whispered in her ear softly even though he knew she could not hear him. His face became crestfallen at the thought that eventually this would not happen. He wouldn't have her in his arms and he wouldn't be able to make love to her anymore. The thought of Rick doing all those things provoked him from the back of his mind and he cringed at the thought of him touching her. He knew he was wrong to think that way- she was his wife after all, but he had come to love her in a way he never loved a woman before. He wasn't sure if he was capable of having it all ripped out from under him and still manage to keep it together.

She began to stir whenever he brushed her bangs out of her face. She peeked up at him with a small smile. Her fingertips caressed his arm and sent every inch of him on fire.

"How long was I out?"

"Only a few minutes," the longer her fingers wandered the greater his desire burned inside. He could truly never get enough of this woman.

"Maybe we should try again… then I can sleep for once," the smile she had before transformed into a mischievous grin. He shook his head and guffawed at her similar insatiable appetite for him that he had for her. Shane detangled himself from her arms and climbed on top of her, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"Anything for you baby."

* * *

T-Dog grabbed the first person that rounded the corner by the white wife beater he was wearing and held it tight in his fist. He slammed him up against the wall with eyes wide open. He was caught completely off guard and unsure of what to do, this wasn't in Glenn's big plan.

"Who are you?" He demanded an answer with suspicious eyes not parting from the strangers. Daryl's focus was taken off the street and he hastily left his post to join the scuffle behind him.

"Who the hell's this punk?" He came over wielding his crossbow with utmost caution which made the kid pin his own back to the wall in fear of his life.

"Whoa, don't shoot me!" His voice cracked as he squealed out. His mind was racing as the whole situation unraveled, he wasn't even supposed to be doing this, his only job was a look out and now he was suddenly a hostage. Without even thinking of the impending consequences he cried out to one of his partners for help only to have Daryl cover his mouth with his hand.

"Shut up, you're gonna bring the geeks down on us!" He hissed at the squirming kid. Suddenly he recoiled and began cussing under his breath all the while gripping his hand tightly. He became enraged with the audacity of this little punk ass kid, he bit him!

The young gang member recognized another opportunity and screamed out into the air at the top of his lungs. T-Dog was seconds from taking over the silencing when a metal baseball bat cracked him in the back of the head with a thunderous blow. His fist unclenched the shirt and released the person responsible for the whole fiasco. He fell to the floor holding his head as disorientation and agonizing pain engulfed his whole frame. Daryl tried to retaliate but had stalled too long and was met with fists and baseball bat beatings. Glenn rounded the corner and stared in utter shock, it was a grim sight to take in as they beat both of them violently, raining blow after blow on the defenseless men. With eyes wide as saucers he began to back away when one of them noticed him and lunged full force.

"That's it, that's the bag! Take it! Take it!" The smaller man commanded his larger counterpart while continuing to keep the others down. He vindictively thrust his large forearm directly into the nose and eyes of Glenn before giving him a fair share of the beatings. One of the unknown assailants dragged him through the gate to a car that screeched to a sudden halt in front of them.

"Daryl! T-Dog!" Glenn's panicked voice was strained with trepidation, everything was falling out from under him. His cries for help were rendered useless when they shoved him into the backseat. Both of the beaten men struggled to their feet with every ounce of strength they had left.

"Come back here!" Daryl ran forward and hung on the door which swung slowly inward under his weight. A group of walkers staggered over and clung to the fence with faces dripping of blood and torn flesh; they were definitely hungry and T-Dog and Daryl were definitely caged in. They were animals caught in a trap.

"Sons of bitches!" T-Dog watched Daryl's rage escalate and explode as he turned his attention to the wounded looking kid.

"Glenn?!" Taylor called out near the surrounded fence as the car sped into the distance and out of sight.

"I'm gonna kick your-" Rick held Daryl back from the young stranger that neither of them had even noticed was there. T-Dog used one hand to restrain the clamorous teenager back against the wall again.

"What the hell happened?" Rick could barely even hear his own voice over all the ensuing chaos. He glanced over Daryl's shoulder to see a mob of zombies honing in on them. They were barricading the fence and he was not sure how much longer it could hold their weight.

"Let me go!" He struggled relentlessly against T-Dog's much larger frame.

"Chill out!" He shouted back to him equally as loud and held him firmly in place. He was not going to let the little creep out of his sight.

"They took Glenn! This little bastard and his bastard homie friends! I'm gonna stomp your ass!" Daryl warned with malice in his voice and repeatedly attempted to get around Rick. The act was hopeless since the leader of the whole escapade did not plan on letting happen.

"Guys! GUYS! We're cut off!" T-Dog quickly reminded them of the horror that laid behind a few feet of fence. Rick pointed his finger off into the alley as a silent direction that T-Dog followed obediently. He dragged the trouble maker away with Taylor trailing close behind to cover them. They were headed back to the initial meeting point with or without Glenn.

"God damn… let's go."

Rick grabbed the bag of guns and paused for a moment making sure to grab his sheriff's hat. It was like a security blanket to him and he was not going to leave it behind now that he had it back in his reach again.

* * *

"Those men you were with, we need to know where they went," Rick had himself propped up on the desk in a relaxed manner. He had done a few interrogations in his time and he knew being aggressive usually proved to be worthless and would only make the suspect clam up more.

"I ain't telling you nothing," the kid wiped his lip where dried blood had formed and looked up at him with emotionless eyes. T-Dog sat nearby with a gun seated neatly in his lap just in case their new hostage decided to bolt. He glanced over out the corner of his eye and decided it was not worth it to run, their little scare tactic had worked.

"How did all of this happen?" Taylor stood up from the seat and looked between the three who were actually present for Glenn's kidnapping.

"They jumped us," T-Dog said quietly and gave the little brat next to him a dirty look.

"We didn't even see 'em, came outta nowhere," Daryl added while he pacing the room like he always did.

"You jumped me puto," he corrected with annoyance in his voice. None of this would have happened if he didn't offer to help to try and win brownie points with his own leader. Taylor giggled at his comment, she didn't know much Spanish but she knew enough to know that they wouldn't have appreciated his choice of word for them.

"Come on this is bullshit, tell us where they are!" Daryl was beginning to lose his cool again and was not willing to negotiate anymore. He attempted to attack when Rick shoved him back to keep them apart for the umpteenth time. Taylor sat back down on the edge of another desk in the corner of the room. She didn't feel like interfering this time and could have really cared less what happened to the kid. He was with the people that stole Glenn and was not willing to offer his knowledgeable services of the hideout. She really didn't have any sympathy for him at this point.

"Stay back Daryl, back off!" He warned him with a pointed finger. He could not play babysitter at the moment if they intended to find Glenn.

"You want to see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off?" Daryl rummaged through the backpack until he came upon the blood soaked blue bandana. He unwrapped it swiftly and smiled to himself before approaching the smart mouthed kid. He threw it haphazardly onto his lap in hopes that he would be scared enough to talk.

"Ah!" He jumped out of his seat faster than a cheetah chasing down an injured meal and cowered in the nearby corner.

"I'm gonna start with the feet this time," he knelt down eye to eye and wrapped his hands around his throat. He just wanted to strangle the information out of him, he was so damn tired of playing games. Rick returned to his duty as guard dog and yanked him away again- also getting tired of playing games.

"You guys really need to work on your good cop bad cop routine," Taylor said with a roll of her eyes. None of them were any closer to finding Glenn than they were before and horsing around wasn't seeming to help. Rick glanced back at her with a glimmer of humor in his eye at the snide remark but did not react to it.

"They took our friend, all we want to do is talk to them, see if we can work something out," his voice was soft now even after all the frustration of everything going awry. The kid locked eyes with him and nodded slowly. He finally agreed after mulling it over, as much as he didn't want to do it for fear of being outcast when he got back he decided he needed to if he wanted to stay alive.

* * *

They crouched down outside a crumbling wall just before the entrance of the gangs hideout. T-Dog, and Rick scouted the area while Taylor and Daryl stayed back with their captive kid. She tilted her head to the side slightly to get a good look at him and decided he couldn't have been older than fifteen.

"Like what you see mami?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes at his not so subtle attempt at flirting. Daryl stood with his back to them watching the perimeter intently but listening to every word.

"Were you with this crowd before the uh… virus?" She decided to change the subject and not even acknowledge what he had said.

"Yeah, I didn't just stumble up on them or anything," he folded his arms across his chest and watched T-Dog and Rick as they surveyed the scene.

"But you're so young, like what, fifteen?"

"I'm old enough to know you're trynna find out if I'm jail bait," he smirked confidently and continued on, "I could probably make you say there's no way I'm sixteen."

"Watch it," Daryl demanded over his shoulder when he'd heard enough of the come on's from the little chump.

"If he doesn't cut your hands off than I might," she said with a mischievous smirk. He shut his mouth tightly and deduced that it was better to remain silent until he was reunited with his group. She had to admit he had perseverance but did not think it wise to indulge in his futile attempts of getting into her pants, and rile Daryl up in the process.

Rick and T-Dog finished their evaluation of the tucked away building and nodded for the three to rejoin them at their 'base'. They hurriedly discussed the plan that was meant to take place within the next few minutes. Time seemed to be running out on the invisible clock that loomed over them.

"You sure you're up for this?" Rick asked T-Dog as he loaded his own gun quietly near the wrought iron fence. He already knew the answer but had to make sure nobody was going to back out at the very last second. Then they could all be dead.

"Yeah," he grabbed the duffle bag full of guns and forged on through the thick woods, he needed to sneakily comb around the outskirts of the factory's fortress to find a non-dangerous way to the top. It also had to have an excellent vantage point for his sniping. T-Dog knew he had some work cut out for him. As he left sight of the remaining four Daryl dropped his head to look down at the only person seated on the floor.

"One wrong move, you get an arrow in the ass, just so you know," he warned with no sign of hilarity in his voice. He could not have hated a person more than he did at that exact moment. This whole entire fiasco could have been avoided had this little snake not slithered into their way. _Probably coulda found Merle by now, _he thought to himself with contempt deep seeded in his mind.

"G's gonna take that arrow outta my ass, and shove it up yours, just so you know," he spat in arrogance. For someone in his position none of the three remaining Atlanta Survivors could fathom why he was so conceited.

"G?" Rick's curiosity was now peaked. The kid had not yet mentioned anyone named G and if he didn't know any better he would have assumed that he was the leader of their gang.

"Guillermo, he's the man here," he tried to hide the worry in his eyes but Rick could see it from a mile away. His initial assumption was right and he knew that this 'G' character was clearly the one who called all the shots around this part of town.

"Okay than," he cocked his shotgun and nodded towards the entrance, "let's go see Guillermo." In their usual single file fashion each person ducked through a broken window that had iron bars that clearly had been taken care of already. Daryl and Rick cautiously followed close behind their captive with Taylor in the far back. She always hated how she could not be the leader- not even once, she wouldn't complain about it though, other than to herself. As they drew closer to the large wooden doors the intensity became physically overwhelming. To say you could cut the tension with a knife would be a drastic understatement_._ The doors crept open agonizingly slow and offered the exact person they were looking for.

"You okay little man?" He eyed him up and down and seemed satisfied when he did not see any injuries. He stood silent without an answer, there were guns to his front, and guns to his back. He didn't exactly feel safe at the moment. "I would like to cut to the chase," he added whenever no response was made.

"So would we," Rick had his everlasting composed and assertive attitude shining through as he spoke. Taylor was equally as impressed as the last time.

"You got my brother in there?" Daryl could not resist asking, he was hopeful that it would be true and he could finally stop wondering if he was alive or dead.

"Sorry, we're fresh out of white boys. But I got an Asian… Interested?"

"You got one of our guys, we've got one of yours. Even trade." Rick was trying his best to keep everyone from popping off, but the group he was dealing with seemed to be a little jumpy and trigger happy. He was not sure he could pull this off with the non-negotiating Guillermo.

"I don't think so man," his answer and tone were both clipped. "My people got attacked, where's the compensation for their pain and suffering?" He sniffled and continued on with this short speech, "more to the point, where's my bag of guns?"

"The bag your speaking of is not yours, so we won't be handing it over," he kept his eyes locked with a fellow leader. They both knew what was on the line and what the world was like out there. Neither one was going to compromise when it came to the bag.

"What's to stop my people from unloading on you right now, and I take what's mine?" Half-way through the question everyone's guns clicked and were brought up to be aimed at one another. T-Dog squinted through the scope internally praying that it would all be over in a matter of minutes, no… seconds. His crosshair was focused only on Guillermo's face, and could not see anything else that was happening outside of that. Rick peered up at him from the corner of his eye which only made G's follow suit. He spotted the sniper and chuckled to himself at the audaciousness these strangers had within them. He signaled for his boys on the roof to bring Glenn out to the edge. They ripped the bag off of his head and let him see where his possible forthcoming death was to be. Glenn was soaked in sweat just as everyone was from the nail biting situation they had found themselves locked in. They could hear his muffled shouts and screams all the way from down below. Rick and Daryl looked up to him with sympathy but were essentially helpless with the numbers game not being in their favor.

"I see two options. You come back with Miguel and my bag of guns, everybody walks. Or you come back locked and loaded, we'll see which side spills more blood," his smug smirk made both men grimace with pure loathe running through their veins like they'd never experienced before. His eyes burned into them as they began to back up and retreat like little puppies with their tails tucked between their legs.

"One more thing," he rose his eyebrows and the same haughty grin reappeared on his face. "We're going to need just a tiny bit more collateral." Rick and Daryl exchanged an apprehensive fleeting look with one another. G's smile widened as they began turning in circles looking for his new deal sweetener. "We snatched her while you were playing the price is right. You may be good with guns but you are not good with your own people."

"Let her go," Rick held out his arm to keep Daryl back without even looking . He didn't need a degree in biochemical engineering to know his rowdy partner was going to charge regardless of the twenty plus guns set on them. "This wasn't part of the deal," his jaw was clenched so tight he thought his teeth might crumble from the pressure. He could barely handle having the kidnapping of Glenn be on his shoulders let alone Taylor.

"She your daughter ese? She's real pretty," he ran his fingers through her hair with a sick satisfaction playing in his eyes. One of the larger gang members held her firmly in place with one giant hand covering her mouth. She stood stalk still and silent without even as much as a flinch. Even though she was not always the sharpest crayon in the box she knew that the last possible thing she wanted to do was try to get away and cause gun fire to rain down on them all. Not to mention the person keeping her hostage had at least two hundred pounds on her.

G could easily tell by their reactions that this was going to change everything about their feeble excuse for a deal. He wanted, no needed, those guns and he was going to do just about anything to get them. Taking the girl may have been the golden ticket he required.

"You touch her n I'll gut you like pigs, all a ya'll!" Daryl fought against Rick as he stood in front of him to block his path. He shoved him back so they weren't even close to the doors anymore and grabbed the kid by the arm to drag him along as well.

"Not the time or place Daryl!" Rick knew that as much as he didn't want to leave both Glenn and Taylor abandoned that the best thing to do was to regroup and come up with a new plan. Taylor's eyes were dead locked with his silently pleading for help, she cast them away to the floor unable to deal with the fact that she might not see any of them again. Once the doors had sealed themselves shut with a thunderous clap the minutes began working against them.

"TAYLOR!"


	6. Say it isn't So!

Disclaimer: As always, I just own Taylor.  
Author's Note: Thanks everyone who is supporting this story. :3  
&to the followers and favoriters.

Special thanks to those who reviewed chapter 5.  
Jasminedragonemployee (I'm fairly sure we bonded over the new episode. Sad face! D:),  
aoi nami-chan, the guests, padme4000, and fabsch1.

Sorry this chapter is so short. :l  
I promise chapter seven will be longer and much better... there's a big surpriseeee ;)

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX.  
****SAY IT ISN'T SO.**

Daryl paced the small room like a caged animal while Rick hung his head deep in thought. He would fix this, he had to fix it. He was not going to head back until he had both of them _and _the guns.

Rick flung the police embroidered duffel bag full of the apparently most-wanted-possessions-in-the-free-world on the desk with a thud. He rifled through it to pull out the necessary ammo and extra heat. They were going to need a lot more than what they had previously to do what his mind had been churning about since they walked off the property.

"Those things are going to be the death of all of us," Rick knew T-Dog had a valid point but was not willing to compromise. "It could protect us and get us food, do all kinds of things for weeks, maybe even months! You're willing to give that up for the kid? The girl?" T-Dog was in no way trying to be insincere but he, as well as the other two, knew all the possibilities that the hefty amount of artillery could provide their group. If that meant they lost two members, than in his mind, so be it. He had no connections with either of them and this was a new, cruel, post apocalyptic world after all. He was more than aware that he was the odd man out on this one though.

"We ain't walkin' away," Daryl looked to Rick for confirmation who nodded without a single word. He began to mimic the leaders actions and dig until he found a suitable handgun for back up.

"I just-"

"You just wanna leave 'em there… like my brother?" Daryl's words cut deep and made T-Dog's mouth clamp shut. The small stab to his already guilty conscience made him rethink his way of objecting without coming off as selfish and insensitive.

"If I knew we'd get them back I might agree," he faltered for a moment not wanting to upset the ticking time bomb across from him, "you think the Vatos across the way is just gonna hand them over?"

"You calling G a liar?" Miguel spoke quietly from his seat on the ground. His was still reaming from being left with the suckers who took him hostage in the first place. He could not wrap his mind around the fact that G had let them walk away with him still in their custody.

"You got somethin' to say?" Daryl smacked Miguel upside his head in one swift motion. He would be damned if he was going to let him defend the man that had taken the only person who put up with all his bullshit as a prisoner. Now that Merle was missing she was the only one he felt responsible for, and he let her down. His thoughts made his temper sizzle and he slapped him a second time, "I will knock your teeth so far down your throat-"

"The question is," T-Dog stated loudly to reel Daryl back into the conversation, "do you trust that man's word?"

"I don't know what I do or don't trust at this point," Rick sighed heavily as the thoughts of her sad eyes sprang forward in his mind. "But I know that I owe my life to him, I was just some idiot stuck in a tank and he could have walked away but he didn't. Neither will I."

"You gonna hand the guns over?" Daryl was only asking out of pure curiosity since he did not care either way. His only concern was retrieving her from their dirty paws.

"I didn't say that," his eyes were dark and voice was low, everyone in the room knew that he meant everything that he had said since they walked through the door. There was no question about it. "There's nothing keeping you two here, you should get out… head back to camp."

"And tell your family what?" T-Dog ran a hand over his shiny non-existent hair and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He didn't have the heart to look Carl and Lori in the eyes and say he let Rick walk into a suicide mission by himself.

Rick's gaze shifted over to Daryl whose answer was known without being spoken. In the little time they had known each other they had come to an understanding through looks and signals- words were barely warranted. With that each one took extra guns and bullets to conceal for the potential big showdown. The thought of possible bloodshed hung over them like a dark storm cloud in the distance.

* * *

Miguel let his heavy feet drag against the dirt as they advanced towards the familiar wooden doors for the second time that day. His breathing was labored as every breath he took sucked the rag in and out of his mouth, leaving a rancid taste on this tongue. He just wanted all of this to be over and it seemed like both sides of the war were making it linger longing than necessary. The doors lazily pulled themselves apart just as they had done earlier, and the same people were present behind it. Daryl shoved the kid forward from behind into the building, making everyone join in cautiously afterwards.

"Here's yours," Rick kept his comments short, sweet, and to the point. He had a vague feeling that G was not going to negotiate with them when it came to terms on the guns.

"And my guns?" His tone was pointed making Rick believe that his thoughts were correct. His eyes glided towards the bag of weapons currently strapped to the cop's back.

"Where's ours?" He peered around the room unable to see Glenn or Taylor. He was not stupid enough to let anything go down until he saw them alive, he didn't know what these people were capable of.

"I'm going to chop up your boy, I'm gonna feed him to my dogs. The evilest, nastiest, man eating bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. And your girl?" He scoffed as his mind spun rapidly in circles to come up with plans for the other one that they were so sensitive about. "Maybe I should pass her around to my boys. I mean, we ain't seen a little mami around here in quite some time. Maybe I should save her for myself."

Rick's lips twitched up into a nervous smile when all other actions evaded him. He could not get either of the of the horrific images out of his head. His worry grew more with each passing second like a silent bomb was ready to explode somewhere in the room. He looked over at Daryl whose expression was unreadable, the only thing he could see was his shotgun aimed directly between G's eyes.

"Oh, that would be unfortunate," Taylor's shadow stretched across the walls until her silhouette came to full fruition. She had her signature smile spread across her lips and a shank held firmly in her white knuckled fist. She shot a dirty a look to all the baffled men in the room. Both Rick and Daryl simultaneously let out a breath of relief- one that they didn't even realize they had been holding in to begin with.

"How did you… where's Jorge?!" Guilleramo's face contorted with confusion and anger that one of his men had let him down again. First Miguel, now Jorge, could he trust no one?

"I mean, do I really look that pathetic and helpless that you guys stick _one _guard on me? With just a knife?" She let it roll in between her fingers a few times as her mind surveyed the scene before her. It wasn't looking good.

"Where. Is. Jorge?" He enunciated every individual word through gritted teeth. He did not have time to play games anymore. Even he could admit it was entertaining for awhile but this was getting out a hand.

"The likeliest of scenarios? Probably getting a tissue for his bloody nose?" She used her forearm to wipe away the sweat that was beginning to form on her forehead. She had never been one to be calm under pressure; that was their new officer friends job.

"Where's Glenn?" Rick's voice pulled her attention back to the side of the room she was supposed to be on. She attempted to take a few small steps forward towards him as she spoke.

"Running somewhere through this building, he was supposed to be the distraction," her eyes shifted uneasily around as some of the guns relocated towards her, "… guess that didn't go as planned."

"Is anyone here _competent _besides me? Do I really have to do everything?" He nodded in the general direction of the same gang member that had initially held her captive to begin with. The second his head tilted down a second time he snagged her arm again and pulled her to the side. Guilleramo turned slowly with his gun level to Rick's head. Everything after that moment was an mist that seemed to disperse in seconds.

The stabbing, the gunshots, the bloodshed, the escape. The familiar feel of a fuzzy brain and blurred vision from the natural high of adrenaline did the opposite affect that it was intended. For Taylor none of it was instant or brief, every single moment was slowed down like the hand on a watch beginning to linger from a dying battery.

Glenn skidded across the floor right into G making him unload his gun unsteadily at Rick. The bullet grazed his bicep barely doing any damage by the good fortune of Lady Luck. G regained his balance and cocked the gun assuring that it was about to end Rick's life. With a panic pushing her over the edge Taylor thrust the shank into the heart of the ogre behind her. His body sank to the floor before he tumbled completely to the ground with a deafening clunk.

"I killed him." She whispered under her breath as she watched him fade. The bullets began flying left and right and she couldn't make anyone out from the other. Glenn shot up to his feet and knocked into Guillermo a second time. This time he was completely overtaken by gravity and slammed onto his back, releasing the gun in the process. Glenn picked it up and began to return fire as he made his way to the door.

"I killed him."

"I killed him."

The now overly boisterous room tore into her ear drums with ferocity. She could not hear or think. She was just an unmoving mass that filled the room. Frozen. Her eyes finally connected with her group that was waiting for her at the door trying their best to fend off the leftover gang members.

She felt Daryl's arm wrap around her waist to pull her forwards. She hadn't even realized he left the safety of the door; never even noticed him standing behind her shouting repeatedly to move. He pushed her until her legs took over and basic instinct set in. She ran for the blinding light that was pouring in from the half closed exit It had been exactly the way she pictured the afterlife would be, running, running, running towards the bright light at the end of the tunnel. Was she really dead?

Rick and T-Dog slammed the doors shut the second both of their feet crossed the threshold. The next thirty minutes consisted of sprinting: heart pounding, lung crushing, stomach twisting, leg throbbing sprinting.

They ran up to the locked gate and stared in astonishment. What they were seeing could not be true. The van had been stolen and they were left deserted in the godforsaken city with hungry walkers and a gang with a bounty on their heads. The term screwed was never more appropriate for their situation.

* * *

Shane let his hand absentmindedly brush against Lori's thigh before gently rubbing it. His cat like reflexes were in full swing when he recoiled it due to Andrea's eyes being fixated on his hand. He scowled momentarily at her then let it soften into a smile when he refocused on his hearts desire. He made a mental note that he was going to have to be more sneaky now that everyone was expecting them to cut all ties since Rick's return.

His best friends unexpected reappearance burned in the back of his mind like the bad memory it was. Somewhere in the darker part of his soul that he repressed, he was wishing that Rick would not return with the group. Maybe they would pull another Merle? _Sayonara Ricky boy, _he thought to himself despondently. He snuck his hand behind her and rested it on the small of her back. Shane would not be deterred by their wandering eyes.

Everyone laughed and joked as they munched on the fish feast that Andrea and Amy and caught earlier in the day. Their hearty laughter spread infectiously to one another until every single person- minus the beaten and cranky Ed- was almost doubling over in joyous euphoria. It had been awhile since they could truly relax and have such a good time. They passed the whopping dish of the delicious smelling meal around again for seconds before handing out beers. The crack of all the caps went off in unison making them all grin together. It felt like everything had melted away around them, like the zombie world that had taken over them was all a dream and they were finally awake.

"To us," Shane whispered huskily into Lori's ear with his beer held to hers. She lifted it and clinked the bottles together with a sweet smile spread across her lips. He suppressed the urge to lean over and devour her in ravenous kisses. The action was hard to do, but he managed somehow.

"To still being alive," she murmured while looking towards the fire. Shane already knew that she was thinking about Rick again. He decided to keep quiet over the matter and not ruin her or his fun.

Carl rested his head on his mothers shoulder and she touched his head softly before kissing the top of it. She looked over at Shane and feigned a small smile before standing up with the little one in tow.

"I'm going to put Carl to bed," she began to walk away when a blood curdling scream stopped her directly in her tracks. Everybody's head whipped around in unison. It was Amy, and she was being bitten.

"AMY!" Andrea leapt from her seat and ran faster than the wind to get to her sister who was under attack. All the men jumped up as well and grabbed their weapon of choice to begin to look out for other lurkers. Shane snagged Andrea by the back of the shirt and yanked her backwards while Jim took care of the walker. He beat it on the head with a shovel until all that was left was brains, blood, and decayed flesh spewed across the lawn. Andrea crawled over to Amy who was choking on her own blood to call out to her sister. She raised her arms weakly to rest on Andrea's shoulders. Amy's eyes became glossy and non responsive as they slowly fluttered shut. Andrea hugged her close to her own body and wept. She could not contain the gut wrenching sobbing that was just pouring out of her. She whispered her sisters name over and over; the rest of the world blocked out. She did not see or hear the rest of the group trying in vain to fend off the zombies. Andrea was in a bubble, a world all to her own, mourning over the death of her beloved sister.

The others had their hands full once they found out that Ed had also been killed and the camp was completely overrun with the living dead. The women and children piled into a small circle near the Winnebago which seemed to have no walkers near by. Shane and Jim took turns backing each other up with one kill after the other. There was too many dead bodies to count at that point and they feared that there were only more on the horizon. Luckily the figures that came up over the gravel road next were actually on their side.

T-Dog, Glenn, Rick, Daryl, and Taylor all stood shell-shocked. The small settlement that they had claimed for their own was crawling with walker upon walker. The stench was overwhelming as it hit them like a brick wall. They knew the numbers couldn't have been good with an aroma like that floating freely through the air. The flight or fight instinct kicked in deep within all of their brains, and there was no need for any motivational words or apprehensive looks they all knew what needed to be done. With the faint sound of all the guns rounds being chambered they knew what choice they were making; they were ready to fight.


	7. Don't Be Such A Baby

Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Walking Dead characters.  
Author's Note: Thanks to everybody (previous and new) who has subscribed/favorited this.  
Thumbs up for you cuties. ;)  
And a special thanks for the reviewers of chapter six:  
Bigtimerushlover101, jasminedragonemployee (stop making me laugh like an idiot), and padme4000.  
*HUGGLES FOR YOU*  
Your reviews seriously make my day :D

Really though, I sincerely hope you guys love this chapter as much as I loved writing it.  
I had a lot of fun with it since it has some serious character bonding. ;)  
Please read, enjoy, and review if you likeyyy!

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN.  
DON'T BE SUCH A BABY.**

Taylor quietly crept along the dimly lit pathway with soft steps, not wanting to risk being heard by any of the sleeping occupants of the tents she was passing. She squinted to get a view of the fire up ahead and tried her hardest to not trip over anything. The only light was the partial illumination from the waxing moon hanging high above her. She glanced up at it with a small appreciative smile because it truly was a beautiful night out. Momentarily her mind glided back to her fiancé and how she would probably be spending a night out with him if the world hadn't gone to shit. The thought quickly dissipated whenever she spotted a shadow lurking by the campfire, her body went stiff and she held her breath tightly.

"What are you doing up?" The voice that came from the very much alive body made her release the pocket of air held in her lungs. Her shoulders relaxed immediately as his deep voice calmed her.

"I could ask you the same thing," she let the fleeting notion that he could have been a stray walker slowly fade away as she approached the campfire. As if one invasion a day wasn't enough.

"You shouldn't be out walking by yourself," he noted aloud while attempting to conceal a small box behind his back. She tracked his now hidden hands and kept her eyes locked there until she plopped down in the seat next to him.

"I can take care of myself, contrary to popular belief," she said flatly. "What do you have?" She tentatively put her hands out in a cupped form, like she was waiting for change. He let out a small chuckle and rolled his eyes at her, handing it over begrudgingly. Rick had a feeling that she was not going to stop until he caved. She grinned victoriously and examined the little white box before gingerly opening it. There was nothing more than a needle, thread, and gauze all packed neatly inside. She rose an eyebrow at him but figured it was a makeshift emergency care kit that he had scrounged up around the campsite.

"Oh my god!" She shut it quickly and reached for his arm with a little gasp. She rolled up his sleeve without permission. He watched her with careful eyes but did not protest.

"It's fine," he told her with a small smirk. He was hoping everyone that was at the shoot out would just forget that he had been hit. It really didn't bother him much, it stung a little, but he had been shot in the chest before so retrospect would say that being grazed by a bullet was less than a flesh wound.

"I can't believe I forgot," she inwardly cursed herself for letting something like that slip her mind so easily. He could tell her it was no big deal until he was blue in the face but she did not plan on letting it go. "Does it hurt?" She brushed her fingers gently across the long, horizontal wound and pulled back hastily once he winced.

"I told you it's fine," he started to roll his sleeve back down when she placed her hand on his to stop him.

"I can stitch it for you," she whispered quietly, her eyes never leaving the injury.

"You know how?" She nodded as she put the tip of the needle into the fire for crude sterilization. She would have preferred to have a back up of anti-bacterial disinfectant, but beggars couldn't be choosers at this point. When she didn't say anything he continued, "be my guest…"

She smiled warmly at him and drowned the gauze in the bucket of water near the chairs. She guided it smoothly on the bullets path.

"This is going to hurt," she mumbled while futilely trying to thread the string through the small needle hole. Once it was finally through, after minutes worth of struggling, she let out a deep breath that completely drained her lungs of all air. She was mumbling something to herself that he couldn't quite hear but grinned at her nervousness. It wasn't like she could really hurt him anymore than he had been in the last few weeks.

"One, two-" She stuck the needle in before counting to three, just as a surprise to both herself as well as him. He made a face but readjusted in his seat once she actually started the threading process. "Don't be such a baby," she joked noticing that he had barely flinched when she knew that it did indeed hurt with no numbing agent.

"So, not that I'm suggesting you don't know what you're doing," she looked up at him from under her lashes with a small smirk, "but where did you learn this? Were you a nurse?" She noticed his face had started to become a little pale.

"No," she scoffed and squinted to get a better look at what she was doing, the light from the fire was not providing much help. "My grandmother."

"She taught you?"

"I went to work with her sometimes… when I ran away from home," she frowned as she continued to sew the wound together.

"Oh… I don't wanna pry but why-" he stopped mid-sentence when she shook her head.

"My mother was a druggie and my father," he could tell she was fighting back tears as her voice became brittle, "he was an alcoholic. My grandmother took me to work with her all the time and I learned a little of this and that."

"You're really good," he said quietly, unable to think of anything to say to keep her from breaking down in front of him. He hated to see people cry, especially girls, it had always been a weakness for him. He would never want to admit it but he was pretty sure that Lori had used it to her advantage more than once in their marriage.

"I have an excellent patient," she said quietly with a hint of a smile returning.

"This is probably going to seem personal again," he started, still watching her as she gracefully sewed him up, "but are you pregnant?" He heard a small gasp escape from her but she didn't stop or look at him.

"No, why?"

"I just mean, the uh, t-throwing up," he began to stumble over his own words wishing he wouldn't have even asked. His attempt to change the subject was futile and embarrassing to them both. He wasn't even sure how it popped into his head in the first place.

"I was just uneasy thinking about what happened… plus that's down right impossible," her tone was confusing to him and he could not decipher it.

"You're not uh…?"

"No," she giggled and narrowed her eyes again trying to focus with the still dim light. "Not that it's any of your business, Mr. Grimes, but I am not doing anything with _anyone_," she refrained from rolling her eyes at his silly interest in her sexual innuendos.

"Not Daryl?" He wanted to slap himself in the forehead for bringing him up after her confessions to him in the alley, but he seemed to have a bad case of word vomit that would not go away.

"Not even Daryl," he could hear the disappointment in her voice and immediately regretted his decision to ask. "So, no. Not pregnant." There was a few moments of silence before she spoke again.

"Done," she said changing tack. She tied the thread a few times and bit it off as close to the skin as she could. He felt a small tingle on the back of his neck as her fingers skimmed over the now freshly stitched lesion.

Thinking back to the talk of her childhood made her frown reappear, she felt the tears begin to prickle at her eyes and before she could make a getaway the dam opened. The waterworks began to pour out uncontrollably as she doubled over and covered her face in shame. Rick grimaced at the sight of her crying and knew his previous prodding of either her past or Daryl was the cause.

"Please stop crying," he rubbed her back in an attempt to console her. When the sobbing didn't cease like he had expected, he chalked it up to him not being the best at cheering people up. He let out a small sigh of sympathy.

"I'm not crying… I have something in both my eyes."

"Yeah, they're called tears," he said quietly. He barely knew her but watching her break down at his account broke his heart, he often wished he wasn't so empathetic.

"No, it's like makeup-"

"You're not wearing makeup," he quickly corrected her.

"Or an eyelash, or a leaf, smoke, bugs… I don't know. Shut up," He couldn't help but snicker at her unsuccessful attempt of lying. She sat up and gave him a dirty look when she realized he was laughing at her.

"I'm sorry I asked," his tone had become serious and sincere. Her lips slowly turned upwards into a tiny smile as he wiped the tears away with his thumb.

"It's not your fault I had a shitty childhood," her voice was merely a whisper but at the very least he had gotten her to stop crying. Taylor tried her best to ignore the goose bumps that arose when his skin met hers. It was easier said than done to disregard the feeling.

"I have an idea." He smiled now with his oh-so-contagious grin that made a similar one appear on her face as well. He took out a flashlight from beside him and waved it in front of her.

"Did you steal that from the Winnebago?" Her eyes widened at the precious commodity that was a little more than scarce these days. "Dale is going to be pissed."

"Don't you worry about old Dale, I can handle him." She giggled at his comment and his grin grew wider.

"So, what were you thinking?" She tucked a stray strand of bright blonde hair behind her ear with a skeptical look on her face. She was not sure where he was going with this.

"I was thinking we should go for a swim," he stated matter-of-factly. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, unsure if it was some kind of trick.

"At the quarry? You think it's safe?" Her tone remained unconvinced at the thought of them going down by themselves, at night nonetheless. She knew Lori would not be pleased and Daryl would probably blow a gasket. She mulled it over for a few seconds before deciding that she was sick of always making her decisions based on what he did and didn't want her doing.

"I'm pretty good with a gun, not to brag," his voice brought her back to reality. "We have a light," he handed the flashlight over to her which only made her beam in triumph. He was letting her be in charge of something for once, _take that Daryl, _she thought to herself with a snippy attitude. Rick grabbed his pistol off the table and tucked in securely into his holster.

"Oh, and you have me," he winked which made a lopsided smirk replace the smile. He couldn't help but be a little thrilled that he was successful at making her chipper manner return.

"Okay, deal. But if you keep going Mr. Cocky on me I will be forced to go summer camp on you and steal your clothes and hang them up for all of the camp to see. And! You'll have to walk back with just your underwear. _How embarrassing," _she returned his wink from earlier and he shook his head as her ridiculous imagination ran wild.

"Fair enough," he said while trying to bite back a laughter that he was sure would wake up some of the nearby occupants. They began to walk in unison and she flicked the flashlight on to start their adventure.

* * *

Shane speculatively watched Rick and Taylor leave on an unknown endeavor. The thought to stop them momentarily crossed his mind but he let it flow right back out because it just gave him an opportunity of his own. He tugged lightly on the zipper to the tent to make sure he wouldn't wake Carl up. He peaked in and noticed Lori roll over with eyes wide.

"What are you doing?" She whisper-shouted at him in anger at his blatant intrusion.

"I came to ask you something," his voice was quiet as well.

"Where's Rick?" Her eyes darted around the tent nervously as she had no clue what was going on. One minute she was sound asleep in the arms of her husband, and the next her ex-lover was barging in to wake her up.

"He's over by the fire… drinking," he said lying through his teeth without hesitation. "I'll only be here for a minute," he promised which seemed to make her more compliant.

"Okay," she ran a hand through her hair in exasperation. She was praying he was not already expecting an answer to his stay or go question.

"Listen, I don't want to rush you," he said while practically reading her mind, "but I do want to make sure you understand how serious I am about us." He fiddled in his pocket and Lori knew something was up immediately, she could tell he was nervous- that was very unlike him.

"Shane, I-"

"Shhh," he let one hand stroke the side of her face while the other finally retrieved what he had been fishing for all along. He took out the small black box and held it shakily in his palm.

"Shane…" He couldn't tell if she was shocked, mad, confused, it could have been all three if he wasn't mistaken. "Where did you…?" Her voice trailed off as she opened it slowly. She let out a little gasp once she saw it in all it's glory. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Hell, if she was going to be honest it was bigger, and more gorgeous, than the one Rick had gotten her.

"When did you get this?" She asked, chocking on the lump that had grown in her throat. Her strained voice let him know that crying was imminent.

"I've had it for awhile…" he confessed softly.

"For me?" He nodded slowly not wanting to speak in case she would sense the impending tears of his own. He would be damned if he let her see him cry.

"But, how? Why?" She searched his eyes for answers since he was suddenly struck mute. He opened and closed his mouth a few times apparently trying to determine the right words to say.

"Lori, I've been in love with you for a long time," he felt the profession begin to tumble out and there was no going back. "Ever since you and Rick started having problems… since you were both seriously considering divorce." He felt his mouth go dry and it seemed harder than ever to just form a simple sentence. "I've wanted you to be mine for so long and once you two started fighting… I would never wish any of you, Carl included, to go through that… but it was like a window of opportunity opened up. I thought I was finally going to have you." He sucked in a deep breath feeling rather winded after the speech.

"These last few weeks…?" Realization began to sink in deep as to how much their short lived time together actually meant to him. He really, truly loved her.

"I cherished every minute," he let her try the ring on and her eyes danced as it glistened from the moonlight alone.

"So, no. I'm not saying you need to make a decision right this second… but I want you to know that I mean it when I say I love you, with every inch of my heart, I do."

* * *

Taylor moved forward until she was standing in the knee deep section of water and Rick caught himself mindlessly giving her a little more than a once over. His assessment of the typical cheerleader cliche look was not far off base; with the long blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, slim frame with curves in all the right places, beautiful face… Rick shook his head and forcefully reminded himself that he had a beautiful wife of his own back at camp. A wife he suspected was fooling around his "best friend".

"Hello?" She waved her hand in front of his face a few times for dramatic effect. He gave his head a slight shake again to bring himself back. "Zoning out?" She had moved while he was daydreaming to just a few inches away from him. He looked down with a faint smile at her dripping wet, hair clinging to her shoulders, pouty appearance. Their icy blue gazes locked as she returned a wane smile of her own. He could not stop admiring her, maybe it was the fact that deep down he knew Lori was currently being unfaithful. Maybe it was the lack of food, water, sleep… sex. Then again, maybe it wasn't.

She broke the temporary staring contest to bend over and slip on her boots. "Thanks," she whispered, standing upright again so they were face to face. Her breathing was slightly labored and shallow as the atmosphere constricted and became heavy around them. He reached out for her face, and much to his chagrin she backed up a step. She could barely catch her breath at that point, his proximity was too close, his hand too close.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply thinking back to the time that he had slipped up and cheated on Lori. He remembered the gut wrenching guilt he felt after and how he could not live with that again. Could he? Would it be the same now, knowing what she's been doing- is still probably doing- behind his back?

Taylor eyed him carefully the entire time, knowing full well that he was in a world of his own, conflicting feelings abound. She titled her head to the side a little and wanted desperately to know what he was thinking.

"Rick?" She mumbled softly unsure if he could hear her. His eyes slowly opened once he heard her but his scolding inner voice remained.

_Control yourself! _

_I cannot slip again._

"Rick?" She tried again and his hand shot back out, stroking the side of her face gently, but she did not back away this time. Her compliance made him furrow his eyebrows in confusion: now she was okay with it? He watched her lick her lips before biting the bottom one. He'd be damned if she wasn't giving him the pouty look on purpose; she was not making this easy. A mantra began playing over and over in his head and he started to feel suffocated with the decision enveloping him.

_I cannot slip again._

_I cannot slip again._

_I cannot slip again._

_I cannot slip again._

_I cannot slip…_


	8. Wasting My Time

**Disclaimer: I own no Walking Dead characters. Boo.**

Author's Note:  
I want to again thank everyone for the support, the favorites and followers.3 :)  
And a special thanks to the reviewers of the last chapter.  
fabsch1, jasminedragonemployee, hauntedskies, the-originals-rock,  
bigtimerushlover101, workitblackjesus, and padme1000.

I LOVE YOU ALL.  
Sorry... I get a little excited sometimes :o

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT.  
****WASTING MY TIME.**

Taylor sat slumped on a beat down log across the campsite. She had her head rested in her hands, titled slightly to the side, staring at the two men in the distance. Her eyes burned into them as she watched intensely when they hunched over the crumpled road map discussing where to head to next in hushed voices. Andrea plopped down next to her still wearing her sad face from the day before. It seemed that it never really went away. The taller blonde followed her younger companions eyeline.

"Enjoying the view?" Her voice was hoarse from the relentlessly crying she had been enduring since she watched Shane and Jim move her sisters body away the previous evening. She frowned and gave her a sideways glance at the question. "What's wrong Taylor?"

"Andrea…" she stopped and let out a noticeably loud sigh. "My problems are so ridiculous and pathetic compared to yours. I would feel like a dumbass if I told you after what you've been through-"

"I don't want to talk about Amy," she quickly cut her off before she could finish. A lump began growing in her throat and she wished she hadn't spoken her name. It was true though, with all the agonizing she'd been doing the last thing she wanted to do was talk about her younger sister who she'd never see again. She sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve determined to not start bawling like a baby again. She had already kept herself, Dale, Glenn, and a whole lot of other people up all night with her strained sobbing. She just wasn't in the mood to do it all over again.

"Sorry," Taylor's eyes shifted back over to the boys. She knew that Andrea only was avoiding it because denial was the best way for a temporary fix in that situation. Taylor had done the same thing when her brother, sister, and grandmother had passed. She couldn't say the same for her parents, but so was life and she was not going to delve into her past again like she did last night with Rick.

"Tell me what's wrong," Andrea pried again once she noticed Taylor go as quiet as she had. She had an inkling that it had something to do with Daryl, though the way she was eyeing up Rick made her think different. "Taylor." Her voice was stern and the little blonde let a small smile slip on her face.

"How do you always get me talking?" She asked with a shove to her friends shoulder. Although Andrea had normally spent the majority of her time with Amy, she had always made room to hang out with Taylor as well. She had become like another little sister over the past few months. "If I tell you something you have to swear you won't say anything to anyone."

"Of course," she nodded slowly and waited for the confession to come.

"I uh… well last night. Ugh, it was like-"

"TAYLOR!" Daryl called over to her making her stop her words immediately. She snapped her mouth shut and looked over at him as he folded the map up and handed it over to Rick. They exchanged a nod and Rick began to walk away, his eyes setting on Taylor for a few moments before breaking away to get the group prepared. Daryl's hand waved her over and she turned to Andrea with a sympathetic shrug.

"Tay," she grabbed her hand and looked her directly in the eyes. "You're okay, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded quickly and shuffled over to him without looking back. Andrea knew she was lying and there was something bothering her. She also knew it had to do with Rick. The look he gave her- the way she was staring at him- did not go unnoticed by her newly acquired hyper observance.

"Hey!" Rick turned and stopped to spin around and face the voice that was calling out to him. It was Andrea, he didn't really know her, didn't really have the chance yet but he was not going to be rude and continue to walk.

"What's up?" He asked with one eyebrow cocked upwards and a perplexed look clearly on his face. He couldn't really imagine what she would want with him.

"I just want to let you know that whatever happened between you and Taylor, or is happening, is done," she had her hands on her hips with her no-nonsense attitude. He shuffled his feet once to switch his stance. He scoffed and folded his arms across his chest clearly offended by her assertion with him.

"Excuse me?"

"She's obviously upset over something and it's obviously you," she pointed sternly at him with her long index finger inches from his face. He backed up to avoid her intrusion on his personal space.

"Don't you think that's a little bold? I barely know her and you don't know a damn thing about me." His eyebrows knitted together and she could tell his defensive attitude was for a reason.

"You have a wife. Stay with her and stay away from Taylor. That's all I'm going to say about it…" She narrowed her eyes and gave him the dirtiest look she could manage. Andrea always had an overwhelming need to protect people and since Amy was gone all she had left to shelter was Taylor. She would be damned if she was going to let a _married man _do to Taylor what had been done to her pre-zombie world. She spun quickly on her heels and stomped off in the opposite direction talking to herself a little louder than she meant to, "arrogant hot shot men thinking they can do whatever they want… typical…"

* * *

Taylor started to drag another lifeless body across the dirt to the graves that had been lined up ever so neatly. The decision was almost unanimous to bury their own and burn the walkers. There was a fight from just a few but majority had ruled and the dead from their group were given the right to a proper burial. Taylor titled her head with a disheartened expression and slid the body into the unmarked grave. She huffed and dropped down to her knees trying to catch her breathe. She was definitely not strong enough for the manual labor she was requested of, but wasn't going to complain about it.

"Why am I helping you with this again? I'm the worst when it comes to all of this… death…" She sighed and awaited a response from her quiet companion. She knew he didn't want to talk but prodding was her thing and she couldn't help herself.

"Because I don't wanna talk to nobody else right now. I don't even want to talk to you," he admitted with bitterness in his tone. Daryl was still reeling from the fact that nobody, sans Dale, had sided with him on burning all the bodies. They were going to regret their decision, he just knew it. They were being stupid and sentimental which were two things he would never let himself become a victim of. He grunted and threw one of the bodies carelessly onto the fire pile, _let 'em burn, _he thought to himself with no remorse before wiping his forehead clean of the built up sweat.

He figured him being an outcast was due to his ability to let go of everything without a care in the world. He didn't grow up in the best environment and that carried on until the whole pandemic broke out. He never had a good life and he just handled the shit cards he was dealt without bitching or moaning- that wouldn't get anybody anything. As much as he didn't mind most of the people in the group he didn't appreciate their complaining about their dead beloved ones. They were dead! They weren't coming back and that was that, done and over with. His deep thoughts were penetrated when she finally made a comeback to his not so friendly statement.

"Oh, how charming," she mimicked his motion and wiped the sweat from her forehead before rolling her eyes at him. It seemed as if he just couldn't hold back his crassness no matter what the situation was.

She carefully walked over Amy's body and let it be, she knew that it was to be saved for Andrea to put under. As she walked past she let a little sigh escape from her partially opened lips. She couldn't believe Amy was really gone. They weren't that close- she was much closer to Andrea, but still… she was never coming back. It hit Taylor hard right there.

"I can't believe she was able to do that."

"Do what?" He unloaded another body with a loud _thunk_.

"Put Amy down," she motioned over to the lifeless blonde's body, "she was very strong."

"Strong?" He scoffed with hostility clearly present. "She shoulda put that bullet in her head before she turned. Coulda got us all bit. It was dumb," his voice strained as he carried one of the heavier walkers body over to the fire, "not strong."

"Really?" She bit back harsher words that threatened to seep out. She couldn't believe how insincere he was being. "Would you like that to happen to you? Your brother? Without a second thought, just right then and there."

"Hell yeah," he didn't hesitate to answer since he had known the answer all along. If it was himself he wouldn't even want the chance that he'd turn into a lifeless, flesh hungry, monster. He figured that being put out of his misery was the most plausible option. He honestly didn't see how any of them even second guessed it to begin with.

"Maybe she waited for some closure… didn't have to do it until she _really _needed too. I understand. I still think she was strong. I wouldn't have been able to…"

"What? Shoot your sister?" He stood back as the fire grew into an uproar with more bodies being added. The flames spread over the rotten flesh and tattered, dirty clothes. Taylor grimaced as the sickening smell hit her all at once. She looked over at him with sincerity masking her normally unreadable face. She stood up and brushed off her knees to remove the clinging dirt.

"No. You," she bit her bottom lip to hold back the tears as just the thought of his death graced her mind, "I wouldn't have been able to kill you."

"God dammit," Daryl threw up his arms in frustration. "Always gotta bring up that bullshit," he muttered to himself before storming off down the trail to leave her by herself. He shoved past the oncoming Rick as he continued his angry pursuit to leave the awkward situation. He hated whenever she brought up all the lovey dovey horseshit that she knew made him uncomfortable. Rick looked over his shoulder briefly as the fuming Daryl made his way back to camp.

"I uh…" he looked forward again and noticed her gloomy aura. "I came up to see if you guys needed help?" He looked around at all the bodies that were already organized properly. All the walkers were burning and everyone from their own group were either in the graves or waiting to go in one. "Guess you guys got it covered."

"Yeah," she swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat from trying to not cry again. Now she knew she really had to hold it back lest Rick's only impression of her be an emotional mess.

"Um," he pointed his thumb over his shoulder obviously signaling to Daryl and opened and closed his mouth a few times. "You okay?"

"I'm awesome," she picked up the shovel and set it in the bed of the truck along with all the other tools. Rick grabbed her arm as she tried to brush past him like he wasn't there.

"I don't think it's right… _he _doesn't treat you right," he told her quietly. When she tugged her arm away from him he immediately let go, not wanting her to think that he was trying to use force with her. She stood with her back still to him but did not make a move to leave again. Once he knew she was listening he turned himself so he was directly behind her placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. He leaned over to whisper to her, "if you're crying more than you're smiling, it's not right."

"How would you know what he does and doesn't do?" She whipped around and scowled at him. He didn't know her, he didn't know Daryl, who was he to make an assumption? And why was she getting so defensive for him when he did make her cry all the time?

"I've only known you for a few days but every time he's around… or mentioned, you're cryin or about to cry."

"Why do you care then? You just said yourself you barely know me," her mind began to spin. She tried so hard with Daryl and he rejected everything that was even remotely considered affectionate. She knew that wasn't his thing, he's said it time and time again, not to mention how obvious his characteristics and behavior made it. Then there was this stranger that waltzed into her life and made her feel special without even trying.

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Why are you so desperate for him to love you?"

"Did you just call me _desperate?_" She spat in almost full anger, his words cut her but his eyes and soft voice made it impossible for her to be completely enraged.

"No. I'm not saying you're desperate in general. I just think for whatever reason you want him to care about you the way you do about him." He paused briefly. "Make sense?"

"I guess."

"I don't know what it is about you..." His hand instinctively reached up for her face again and suddenly it was déjà vu. The night before flashed in her mind when their faces were inches apart. The only reason why their lips didn't meet were the rustles they heard in the bushes. If it hadn't been for their jumpiness from the previous mob attack they would have surely shared a secret, intimate moment.

He brushed the stray bangs out of her eyes and leaned down to the point they had left off the night before. Her eyes nervously darted from his lips to his eyes knowing what was coming. His lips grazed hers gently as his husky voice broke the silence, "he doesn't know what he's missin."

"Hey!" He retracted his hand and ran it through his hair with a frustrated sigh. Glenn jogged up to meet them with a half smile playing on his lips. The smile quickly faded when he noticed the burning bodies behind them. "You guys need help?"

"No…" Taylor smirked over her shoulder at Rick then turned her attention back to the quizzical boy before her. "Everything's ready for later. Just need the truck moved back," she patted the side of its hard metal shell.

"I'll do it," Rick squeezed himself between the two and shuffled into the driver seat. "I'll see ya back at camp." The corner of his lips tugged into a small grin as his eyes set back on the blonde. She shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably under his gaze while Glenn watched with suspicious eyes. She tucked her hands into the back of jeans pockets and nodded for him to go.

"See ya…" Glenn watched as the truck made a u-turn before skimming down the dirt hill back to their campsite. His eyes immediately shifted towards the dazed looking Taylor who was biting her lip to the point he thought it would bleed soon. "What's wrong with you?"

"What?" She cocked an eyebrow at him and began to walk away with obvious intent to avoid him. He picked up his pace and made it so his strides met hers, which wasn't hard with his longer leg advantage.

"You know what," Glenn chuckled quietly and scratched the back of his head. "He is pretty cute." He let his demeanor shift from intrusive to laid back.

"What?!" She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him with the most befuddled look he'd ever seen her wear. "You… did not just say that." To say she was taken aback was putting it lightly. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that Glenn was into men, the thought made her temporarily lose her equilibrium. It certainly wasn't as shocking as the world being taken over and run by the living dead- but it was scandalous nonetheless.

"He is," he shrugged his shoulders lightly and let a Cheshire cat grin spread across his lips. "I'm not surprised you like him."

"First, I don't like him." She corrected him with a clearly faltering voice. Taylor had never been a good liar and Glenn seemed to have a knack for knowing when people weren't being honest. "Second… you uh… like-"

"I go both ways, if that's what you're asking." He was not ashamed to admit that he was bi-sexual. He had been out of the closet for years but nobody really ever asked nor did they take notice.

"I had no idea," she mused aloud as they started to walk again. She didn't plan on broadcasting it to the others but she did wonder who else in their group knew about it. Was she the only one in the dark on the matter?

"Nobody bothered to ask."

"Holy shit," he chortled at her reaction as that was what he was used to. People always appeared so stunned by something that he considered to not even be a big deal.

"I'm not embarrassed by it or anything, but I also don't go around shoving it down people's throat." Taylor coughed and her eyes went wide as an image she didn't expect ran through her head. "That was probably a bad choice of words."

"Mmmm, not the best," she shook her head a few times but let a smile form afterwards. She felt like she was closer to him now. Even though she had no idea who else actually knew about it, it made her feel less lonely, like it wasn't just Andrea she could talk to anymore. Glenn was proving to be more than just another face at the campfire.

* * *

"You're serious?" Shane let out a breath of air in pure astonishment. "You really mean it?" He was pacing the backside of the tent feverishly unsure if what he was hearing could even be possible.

"Yes," she whispered under her breath unable to believe the words that were coming out of her mouth herself, but her decision had been made. She was one hundred percent sure that it was what she wanted. She had stayed up all night fighting with herself about it and it was final- so final that she had already gone through with it.

"Wow," his eyes grew wide as the realization hit him hard. It was like a fist right to the gut full force. The words had almost sucked the air right out of his lungs.

"So…?" The tall brunette swept a hand through her long locks as a tiny smile crept up on her lips.

"I'm…" he lifted his balled up fist to the air and pumped it once. "I don't know what to say," he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him tightly spinning her in a circle once. He wasn't used to being cheesy or romantic but she just brought it out in him. He crashed his lips to hers in a heated attempt to claim them as his. Their tongues battled in a war of love and passion that couldn't have been won by either of them. Lori ran her hand through his thick black hair and grabbed a fist of it as he trailed his kisses down to her neck. She let a small moan escape from her throat as his lips passed over it.

He held her close to him like he was afraid if he let her go she would never come back to him again. She set her head down on his shoulder and a shiver ran down his spine as her warm breathes cascaded down onto his tingling skin.

"You're leaving Rick? For good?" He pulled back from her and titled her chin up with two of his fingers to make sure she would look him in the eye. He needed to see her beautiful face whenever she said the words. She slid her wedding band off and let it fall to the ground carelessly. The tormenting, nagging thought at her mind since Rick had returned was finally freed. Before the world had been flipped upside down she was ready to leave him, and now, after everything that had happened, she had.

"I've already left him, I told him and I'm done." Her eyes flickered and a full blown smile spread across her swollen-from-his-kisses lips. "I want to be with you Shane," she sighed as he pressed his lips to her forehead for a quick kiss. "I don't love him anymore. I love you. I'm all yours."


	9. Keep 'Em Separated

Author's Note: I just wanted to give a little shout out to my sister who definitely helped me with an idea for this chapter. At the very end there is a little snippet that she actually wrote and I just wanted to give credit where it's needed. So thanks big sis! :) I am sincerely hoping that you guys all like this chapter because it took me forever to write. I worked really hard on it and I am actually super in love with it. Just to warn you it's a little fluffy...  
I also want to thank any new favorites or subscribes, your support helps so much more than you know!  
And thanks to the-originals-rock, bigtimerushlover101, and padme4000 for the reviews of chapter 7.  
You guys are the bomb dot com. ;)

** Also, if you guys wouldn't mind I am TRULY curious to know some things. If you could be so kind as to let me know in your review a few things:**  
**Shane&Lori. Do you like the pairing being kept together?**  
**Rick/Taylor or Taylor/Daryl?**  
**Should I have Glenn pursue a male or female character?**  
**Thanks so much for helping me out! :D**

Disclaimer: I don't own any Walking Dead characters.

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE.  
****KEEP 'EM SEPARATED.**

Rick looked over and smiled faintly at the small blonde as she gazed out the window aimlessly. They had been sent on a last minute scavenger trip to a town that was close by the quarry. The rest of the group stayed behind to pack up all their belongings and get everything in order for the big road trip to the CDC. It was a long night of bickering, back and forth arguing, but eventually everyone had agreed upon going. No one was really thrilled about the idea of being on the open road, but honestly, staying in the quarry made them squirm in their seats as well. With the last assault taking more than one of their own they were unsettled by the plaguing thoughts of another attack looming in the near future. Minus one family the whole gang would be ready to leave before sundown and it was Rick and Taylor's job to grab some last minute things. The very last thing they wanted was to have the whole line of cars have to make a stop to grab a measly first aid kit, then they would all be sitting ducks.

Rick wasn't particularly fond of having to go on the outing with just two people but no one else wanted to volunteer and he had grown to like her company anyway. A few days worth of constantly being around somebody could make or break a growing relationship and he would say she had made it enjoyable- possibly a little more than that. She made some of the unfortunate things that happened seem a little less unfortunate.

Everything had gone by so fast the day before with Lori telling him it was over. He had even begged for them to stay together, not for the sake of keeping her, but for the sake of their son. Even Rick had to admit everything had gone to hell between him and Lori way before the 'end of the world' but he wasn't ready to pull his son into all of it. Now he was sure Carl would pull the short straw because his mother would be back in the arms of Shane and more confused than ever. He sighed and tried to push the tiresome thoughts out of his mind.

"You wanna talk about it?" She glanced over at him with a small frown masking her features. He hadn't even noticed she stopped her staring contest with the window.

"No," he shook his head and refocused on the bland road ahead of him. The repetitive yellow and white lines giving him a bit of a headache. He had told Taylor about the way Lori broke it off for Shane only moments after getting in the truck. He always had word vomit with her and it seemed to never fail. Her door shut, his shut, and suddenly the confession poured out. Rick was pretty certain she may have seen the few tears that ran down his cheeks at the thought of all the years lost, but she was too gracious to emasculate him and bring it up.

"She doesn't know what's she's missing." Taylor returned to her previous pose and let her arm hang out the window. Her eyes followed the trees as they swooshed by. He could see the crooked smile that spread across her lips as she recited what he had told her just the day before. He let a chuckle slip out at her comment and beamed a smile at her.

She messed with the knobs on the radio a few times whenever the silence began to suffocate them. She knew that none of the radio stations were working but if she was lucky there was a CD in. _Bingo_, she thought as the speakers began blasting out a song. Luckily it was a band that she really liked. The Offspring sang 'Come Out and Play' while she bobbed her head and tapped her foot along to the beat.

"They should probably keep us separated."

"Really?" His tone was inquisitive as he pondered what she really meant by those words. He rose an eyebrow and glanced over at her quick enough to catch her sending him a mischievous look. Once she noticed his eyes set on her she pursed her lips together and turned to face the faithful shield of the window again.

They pulled into a cul-de-sac filled with a row of beautiful houses. Rick parked the truck in the middle of the street leaving it on just in case they had to make a hasty exit. They both slid out of the truck with their guns held out in the ready position. They each scanned their respective sides of the road and relaxed their shoulders and tense jaws whenever there was not a soul to be seen- alive or dead. Rick nodded to the first large brick house they were pulled up in front of and they stealthily made their way inside. Rick kicked the door in with a loud bang as the wood buckled under the pressure of his well trained and skilled ability. He had kicked plenty of doors down in his day and this one was just as easy.

"I'll sweep down here, you do the upstairs," he whispered motioning for her towards the stairs. She nodded silently and crept up the staircase as quietly as her legs would possibly let her. Rick went from room to room only spotting blood soaked walls and carpets. He inwardly prayed that sending her upstairs by herself would not come back to bite him in the ass, but it was the only plausible option with both of their safety in mind. He paced through the kitchen and rummaged through the drawers, grabbing some water bottles and food. He found some antibiotics and threw them into the two book bags as well, he had a feeling someone was going to need them at some point. Just as he knelt down to open the last cabinet he heard the one thing he had been fearing the most.

"AHH!" He sprang to his feet and bolted up the stairs taking two at a time. He rounded the corner and saw a lifeless walker that had recently been stabbed in the head. Rick continued looking through each room wondering when she had killed that one and how many more had possibly cornered her. Her swung the last door open and cursed himself, _why did I let her come up here-_

"Awhhh, it's a puppy!" Rick's face dropped to deadpan once his mind had put all the pieces together. Taylor sat Indian style in front of a child's closet cradling a miniature Australian Sheppard in her lap.

"You scared me to death! I thought you being eaten by a damn walker," he growled out as his heartbeat came down from the strung out beating it had just done. Taylor's cheeks flushed pink with the realization that he was more than just a little pissed off at her. She hadn't even thought about it when she first squealed at the sight of the adorable dog.

"Sorry," she whispered, petting the puppy's head delicately. The petite dog licked her face frantically with the excitement of human contact making Taylor giggle like a small child. His scowl softened into a slight smirk at the sound and his momentary anger quickly subsided. She looked up at him with eyes as wide and beg-worthy as the dogs. "Can we _please _take him back with us?"

"No," Rick stuck his hand out and waved it in disapproval. It wasn't that he didn't like dogs, or even didn't want to take this particular dog, he just knew Shane would throw a royal fit. "We are already struggling to fend for ourselves, it'll just be another mouth to feed. Not to mention he could be a barker… he could draw the walkers to us."

"But…" she began to protest and poked out her bottom lip with her eyes still wide in an attempt to make the perfect pouty face. "But he's _so cute."_

"Yeah, then you'll get attached to it and if something happens-"

"Then I'll be heartbroken, but I'll get over it," she cut him off rapidly already knowing where his argument was headed. "I've always wanted a dog and could never have one. This is the perfect time."

"I never thought I'd hear the apocalypse being referred to as 'the perfect time'," his sarcasm was harsh and she frowned with a heavy heart.

"I'll take care of his food situation and he has yet to bark even when that I had that run in with the walker out there, he's a good dog," she sighed and placed the puppy on the ground in front of her gently. The dog immediately took off and ran over to Rick, sniffing around his feet furiously. He jumped up at his feet and whined in the least annoying way he'd ever heard. The combination of his face and hers was enough to make him run a hand over his face in frustration.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes and began to walk away with the now overly cheerful Taylor and dog trailing quickly behind him. She rushed ahead of him and picked up the dog swiftly before leaning up on her tip toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you!"

He shook his head and grumbled under his breath about all the men at camp having a conniption knowing full well she couldn't hear or see him. As they exited the house he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

"You still need to be careful," he glanced down at the dog and chuckled, "that measly thing ain't going to protect you." He ruffled the top of the dogs head making Taylor's already beaming smile grow wider.

"You two will get along just fine," she winked at him and approached the truck much more cautiously than she had left the house. Once they were in the vehicle the dog sat promptly in the middle of the two wagging his tail wildly. He had clearly not seen any humans, besides ones that wanted to eat him, in quite some time.

"What are you gonna name it?" Rick asked once they were a few miles down the road and neither had spoken. She looked down with feigned confusion at the now sleeping pup. She stroked his back lightly and looked up at him with a small smile.

"Well, I wanted to name it Jasmine but he's obviously a boy… so I think I'm going to go with Bailey."

"Bailey's a girls name," he said with a cocked eyebrow, not sure if she was aware of it. At least in his own opinion it was a girls name, once he thought about it he wasn't actually sure. He had a strong inkling that she was about to put him in his place.

"No! It depends on the spelling, it can be both," she corrected him with her usual matter-of-fact attitude. He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "He can be our dog," she whispered, still patting his head lightly.

He refocused on the road ahead of him and smiled to himself at her words. He took a quick peek down at Bailey who had now nudged his sleepy way over to her lap.

_Our _dog_._

* * *

Daryl crouched down and scanned the horizon of the lush woods before him. He titled the crossbow up until he could see clearly through the scope. He had decided to go hunting to blow off some much needed steam. After his fiasco with Taylor and all her emotions he was in dire need of a way to get his anger out without knocking someone's teeth down their throat. Hunting was always best for that. He whipped around at the sound of a small branch cracking and readied himself to let an arrow go. He stopped his finger immediately at the sight before him and he lowered it slowly.

Daryl's eyes didn't waver from the person before him. His jaw went slack and he honestly could not believe what he was seeing. _Another survivor? _His eyes than were automatically floored to the dead walkers body below him. He noticed there was an arrow neatly through the eye of the zombie. He had almost been killed by a walker and didn't even know it. His mind clouded with the realization that this person had saved him. He was so caught up in his own thoughts and own distracted that he had almost let himself be bitten. He looked back up as the stranger spoke.

"Hey handsome," her voice was thick was a southern twang and he couldn't take his eyes from her. She was almost as tall as him with a head full of luscious brown curls. She was stacked and _hot_, even someone as stubborn as him would admit that. She had that kind of look that defied gravity and he found himself at a loss for words. Daryl Dixon did not become speechless at the sight of a woman.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked, now eyeing her warily. He was not sure where she came from and what she was capable of. Not only did she have a hell of a shot on her, she had to have been tracking him, he just knew it. There was no way she happened to stumble upon him almost being eaten for dinner. He would be damned if he let a woman track him.

"I'm Cassidy," she answered and slid the arrow out of the lifeless head without so much as a shudder. He had to admit he was pretty damn impressed. Cassidy though…? He twisted his face with slight disbelief since the name did not seem to suit her.

"Really? Cassidy? Doesn't seem right," he trailed off watching her wipe the walkers blood off of a very nice looking arrow. They almost looked like his.

"I didn't pick my own name," she shrugged her shoulders at his suggestion. "Everyone just calls me Cass or C. Or at least they did," she rolled her eyes at the thought of the world being half wiped out. It was a different reaction to it than he was used to. All the girls at camp would be all depressed or they would cry… she just seemed to not care. Maybe she was a natural loner like him.

"Why are you out here? These woods?" He slung his crossbow back over his shoulder knowing that now there would be no way he could hunt with all the commotion they had caused. She laughed and shook her head at him like she knew something that he didn't.

"This my part of the woods. I live a few streets down. These are my hunting woods," her tone seemed clipped suddenly. She had grown possessive thinking he was trying to take them over.

"I ain't never seen you before," he said flatly, trying to ignore the way she constantly licked her lips and stared at his.

"That's because you've never been down this far before or I would have known. You were probably too distracted and got off course," his eyes narrowed at her. Daryl wondered if she trying to imply he was a bad tracker by straying too far. Maybe he was distracted, so what. She didn't own this land.

"Whatever," he began to stalk off back to camp to get away from this whole situation. What was it with women and making him feel awkward?

"Do you have a group?" She chased after him, hot on his heels. He turned his head slightly to speak behind him.

"Maybe, wouldn't tell you though."

"Why not?" He could just _tell _she was pouting. He didn't need to see her face, he could tell by the tone of her voice. He had been hanging around Taylor way too much if he was able to predict the look on a girls face. She caught up to him and sure enough there was a small pouty look on her plump lips.

"Cause I don't know if I can trust ya," he glanced over at her and the hurt expression now taking up residence on her face. "Ugh," he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"I can hunt, I'm sure you could tell," she waved behind her to the corpse, "and I can cook… I can shoot a walker between the eyes from a mile away."

"Yeah sure," he snorted at the mere idea of her being able to perform such a task.

"Okay, I may have been exaggerating but I can be of a lot of help. I'm by myself back at my place. It's just me," she looked him up and down as she awaited an answer. He turned towards her and did the same, his eyes momentarily stopping at her chest. He shook his head and turned his gaze straight forward again to prevent it from happening anymore. It wasn't his fault she was wearing a shirt that revealed way too much cleavage.

"Fine," her words of being holed up alone made his memory drift back to finding Taylor alone in the attic. He had saved her, he supposed he could save this one too. Though she didn't look like she needed much saving.

She nodded at his words with a minuscule smile forming, she didn't squeal, or kiss him, or do any of the things that Taylor would have done. _Damn_, he needed to stop thinking about the blonde that he ditched back at camp.

As soon as they were on the brink of the campground she turned and aimed her bow towards the distance. She released the arrow and he followed it as it pierced a lone walker quite a distance from them. The body slumped to the ground and she gave a side glance to the stunned looking Daryl. He hadn't even noticed it. He scoffed and continued up the path without acknowledging it. A little smile did grow when he thought about how nice it was to not have to worry about having both of their backs. Hell with this one he didn't even need to worry about himself, she clearly had them both covered. He put his hand up in a half-hearted attempt in front of their now all packed up little camp. A wide grin broke out across her face at the sight of all the other people. Cassidy couldn't believe after months of being stuck by herself she was finally around other people.

"Thanks, champ," she slugged him in the shoulder and took off to introduce herself to everyone. He stared in awe, did she just hit him? In the few minutes that he had known her she was already proving to be the type of girl that he would have chased after before the apocalypse. She was a badass with an attitude and a body to match, not to mention she was good with a bow and hunting. Daryl smirked to himself as she walked out of his sight, maybe he made the right decision after all.


	10. Crashed Into You

Author's Note: Woohoo! The last chapter had awesome feedback and I'm so glad cause I kind of loved it, okay maybe I was a little obsessed with Rick and Taylor fluff. ;) Thank you guys so much for the reviews and the new favorites/follows! All of you seriously make my day, every time I get a notification for this story I get instantly happy! So really, thank you from the bottom of my heart. :D x3  
Special thanks as always goes out to the reviewers:  
Both of the guests, fabsch1, gypskyl79, padme4000, taylyons, the-originals-rock, bigtimerushlover101, and jasminedragonemployee.

I also wanted to address something that a lot of people have been commenting about. Shane isn't supposed to be the bad guy in general, he is perfectly fine with everybody else. The only one he has an issue with is Taylor (and now Rick because of the Lori/being close with Taylor thing) but he is not an asshole with anyone else. And there is a very big reason as to why he is this way with her which will be revealed in a future chapter. You'll just have to wait and find out what that crazy secret, mwhahaha! ;D

One more thing, this chapter is Taylor heavy and I just wanted to warn you of that.  
I promise the next chapter will have more of Lori/Shane and the others. No need to worry.  
I hope you like it because God knows that it took me over a week to write it.  
There's something fun in here for all the Taylor/Rick fans.  
Enjoy babes!(:

Disclaimer: The Walking Dead characters are not mine!

* * *

**CHAPTER TEN.  
****CRASHED INTO YOU.**

Taylor hopped out of the car with the eager Bailey following obediently behind her. Rick grabbed both the bags full of supplies and slung them over his shoulder as he slammed the truck door. His anger had suddenly risen when they pulled up and he saw Shane wrapping himself around Lori. He didn't even know why he cared, maybe it was because Carl was watching on with a small smile. Rick suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

"What's wrong?" Taylor took one of the bags from him and frowned at his hostile expression.

"Nothing," he grunted taking the bag back out of her hands and storming off to drop them by the Winnebago. She watched him walk away and crinkled her nose wondering what his random mood change was all about. She bent down and picked Bailey up before approaching everyone packing the cars up. It seemed like everyone was ready to go and starting to get antsy. Carl looked up and saw the dog first, tripping over his own two feet to get to it. An enormous grin was plastered to his face as he came within reach of Taylor and Bailey.

"Can I pet him?" He looked up with twinkling eyes, this was probably the best thing to happen to him in weeks. Taylor nodded and Carl laughed hysterically as the dog licked his hand. "What's his name?"

"Bailey," the corner of Taylor's lips turned up into a crooked smile at the sight of the ecstatic child.

"He's so cute," Carl's voice squeaked with excitement as Bailey continued to shower him with kisses. Taylor giggled along with him, and she figured the giddiness was rubbing off on her. She was never really a 'children' type of person but he was too adorable.

"I think he likes you." She smiled warmly at him as he began to pet the pup on the head delicately when it finally relented it's kisses. Shane detangled himself from Lori and began to race over with heavy footsteps and an enraged look in his eyes. She knew he already didn't like her and this was only going to make matters worse.

"What the hell is this?" He pointed at the dog with malice deep in his tone. "Carl go back with your mother," he directed the child without even so much as glimpsing at him but his voice was softer.

"Thanks Taylor," he whispered with a crestfallen look that made her frown as well.

"Anytime little dude." Carl did as he was told and scurried off back to where his mom was sitting.

"Well?" He tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for an explanation that he felt was due. His voice had hardened again since the boy was gone. Taylor noticed that he always acted different when he was around.

"It's a dog, obviously." She rolled her eyes and made sure she sounded as sarcastic as humanly possible. She knew that Shane could not say or do anything too bad with so many on lookers so she decided to push the envelope. "Didn't think it took a genius to figure that out."

"This is completely irresponsible. You're not keeping it. I'm going to shoot it," she gasped and held Bailey tighter to her body, turning herself slightly in a protective manner. He could tell she was already attached to it which only made him act more viciously. "Then we can all eat it for dinner. We haven't had good meat in awhile."

"We're keeping the dog Shane," Rick's appearance couldn't have been at a better time. Taylor stood straight forward again, feeling much more confident now that she had back up.

"How in the blue hell do you plan on keeping that thing from running it's damn yapper? It barks one time and it could attract who knows how many walkers."

"We deal with your yapper just fine and haven't had any issues… besides headaches." He rubbed his temples with two fingers on each side, he was clearly frustrated and not wanting to even look at Shane's face as the image from earlier sat freshly in his mind. "It's staying," Rick turned his back to them and headed for the truck to finish loading it up before their departure.

"Ohh, burn." Taylor commented childishly to the dumbfounded man before her. She spun on her heels and followed after Rick still cheering excitedly in her head that he put him in his place. She never thought he would tell him off, but it was awesome to witness the disbelief on his face. If Shane didn't despise her existence as much as he did than she probably would have felt pretty bad about it. She knew that he couldn't contain his hatred towards her since she knew his _darkest _secret and had once threatened to use it against him. She would never make that mistake again.

Taylor was just yards away from returning to the truck when something caught her eye and stopped her to a stalk still point. She tilted her head to the side a little with her mouth agape. The brunette ceased her giggly flirting with Daryl when she spotted someone staring at her.

"Hey," Cassidy's lips twisted up into a mischievous grin. "I don't believe we've met yet." She stepped away from him and casually walked over to greet the stranger. She looked her counterpart up and down and her grin widened. "You must be Taylor."

"How did you…" She eyed the new girl suspiciously. _When the hell did this happen? _Taylor felt like her brain couldn't connect words together in a sentence, let alone speak them. Her chest tightened when Daryl's smirk faded into a frown at the two meeting. Her eyes clouded with jealousy, was he flirting back before she intruded?

"Daryl's told me _all _about you," her tone seemed a bit off and Taylor couldn't quite put her finger on the reason why. She looked over Cassidy's shoulder to see Daryl eyeing the ground like it was suddenly the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. He probably knew better than to look up and receive her death glare. "I'm Cassidy, but you can call me Cass," she stuck her hand out for a hand shake but recoiled when Taylor held the pup up with mock sympathy.

"Sorry," she forced an apology out of her mouth, though she was glad that Bailey was able to block the interaction from happening. She didn't know who this _Cassidy _was or what she was about but she couldn't help but not like the way she was behaving with Daryl before she came to break up the love fest.

Cassidy heard her name being called from Lori at one of the cars and she nodded a goodbye to the visibly aggravated blonde. "Nice to meet ya," she winked and trotted over to where Daryl was standing. She brushed her hand against his bicep and whispered something inaudible before retreating. Taylor scoffed in disbelief and held Bailey closer to her body. She straightened her shoulders and made a mental attempt to cut through Daryl with her eyes before leaving to attend to her original mission of helping Rick.

"Taylor…" he approached her and grabbed her by the shoulder, spinning her around without much effort. She yanked herself away from him and rose an eyebrow awaiting what she assumed he just _had _to tell her.

"She's allowed to touch you?" She refused to look him in the eyes since she knew hers were glossing over. She would not cry in front of him knowing that it never ended well, and before this whole fiasco happened she was in a very good mood. She wanted to at least try to carry that mood on for more than fifteen minutes. Though at this rate it seemed unlikely.

"Don't," he stopped her before she could continue knowing exactly where this was headed. A heated argument that he was just not up for.

"Whatever."

"Stop. What the hell is this?" He glowered down at Bailey unhappy with the new arrival. He was not a dog person. He wasn't a pet person in general. He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that she was going to keep it as anything other than food. They were all hungry for some good meat and pets were not off limits to him. He never had any animals and he figured they all cooked the same. Though deep down he knew he would never take the dog off of Taylor and crush her.

"It's a DOG. Geez, what's with all you men being so dense? I swear you're all one chromosome away from being a potato," he knew her temper was starting to truly show, she never mouthed off to him.

"You're angry and jealous." He noted aloud rather calmly compared to her. "I won't talk to ya til ya calm down."

"I was walking away, you stopped me, so I have every right to be pissed," she was practically gnashing her teeth together to stop from saying something she would sincerely regret. Her potato comment wasn't that bad and she had bundles of insults from years with older siblings that would sting much worse.

"You didn't even give her a chance." Daryl hadn't been standing with her for more than two minutes and was already feeling exasperated. "I don't even know who the hell she is! I leave camp for a few hours and come back and she's just here. Flirting with _you, _and you're flirting back. If I was acting like that you would have stormed off in a second." She was already skating on thin ice with her rage and he was just pushing it with bringing her into the conversation.

"I don't know what you expected from me, but you know I ain't like that," he ran a hand through his messy mop of hair getting more frustrated with her accusations.

"Like what?" She huffed dramatically. If her arms were not full of dog she would definitely be folding them across her chest, that was her signature sign of irritation. "All smiles and touchy feely?"

"Yeah, you know that ain't me."

"_Ha_," she smirked and shook her head, still not being able to force the image of them together out. "Yeah that isn't you... with just me apparently. You looked like you were about to jump her. I'm not good enough, but she is?" Taylor couldn't help the way her mind was forcing all the jealous thoughts out of her mouth. She wanted to keep them bottled up nice and safe where she wouldn't look like an envious fool, but her brain was having none of that.

"I don't need this shit, not from you!" His tone had gone from calm to malicious in mere seconds. His face twisted in anger when his enraged side finally emerged to it's full extent. "Like you're _so_ damn innocent. I can see you fawning over Rick like a fucking school girl, I ain't blind."

The comment made her second guess if she was truly the only jealous one; though she didn't have the courage to bring that up with his latest outburst. He had never once blown up her like this, he had never been _this _angry with her before. Taylor stepped back and swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat as her heart constricted against her chest. She knew she had to keep a brave face on because the last thing she wanted to do was give him more reason to be angry. The shedding of tears always made it worse.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied nonchalantly while keeping a shrewd stare locked on him. She was hoping her poker face was holding up and it was a good enough bluff. _Damn, are Rick and I that obvious? _She thought back to his snide comment while trying to mentally retrace her steps for any times where they were noticeably flirting in front of him.

"Whatever," he knew when to pick his battles with her and he was growing tired of running in circles. "Do ya really think Shane's gonna let ya keep that mutt?" His disgruntled glance left her and shot down to Bailey. She scoffed at his sudden change of tone; and he had the audacity to call her out on having mood swings.

"I don't need his approval." _That's right, keep throwing up a tough girl act, _she pushed herself on. She knew that the matter had already been settled but she couldn't back down from him. Something was prodding her in the back of the mind to keep going even though her sensible side told her to stop a long time ago. She often ignored that side.

He rolled his eyes at her comment, she was used to it being the other way around. Taylor was pretty sure he had just given up with her.

"I don't know what ya want from me Tay," he changed tack knowing what the whole issue was truly about. "I ain't never gonna be what ya want. I don't hafta defend myself about Cass, and I ain't gonna." The wounded look in her eyes at that point made it obvious that he was right, this whole petty dispute was all because she felt like a neglected puppy put up for adoption; unwanted and not good enough. He wouldn't take their relationship any further than platonic and it was a blow to her ego. Daryl wanted to admit that it was to protect her from getting hurt, but he wouldn't be Mr. Sensitivity just because they were fighting.

"Fine, I don't even care," she inhaled deeply and prepped herself to leave it to that. If he was going to choose Cassidy over her than so be it. But he stopped her, like he always did.

"God, what is this? A damn competition?" He didn't mean to sound as cynical as he was but her abrupt 'don't give a shit' attitude made his blood boil again. Cassidy began to come back over, waving like a beauty queen when both of their heads turned towards her.

"Yeah," she glanced once again at the brunette as she eyed Daryl like a hungry lioness, "I got a puppy and you got a whore. I guess you win Daryl," she shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sarcastic smirk. Taylor turned quickly to steer clear of the oncoming Cassidy and went back on her pursuit to find Rick. At the very least he wouldn't make her feel lousy or second best to some hussy they just met. Her whole body was turning it's dials rapidly as the infuriating thoughts rolled around.

"Hey," she put Bailey down on the gravely road beneath her and tapped the unsuspecting man on the shoulder, catching him off guard. His body jumped slightly at her touch and she knew that he was still distressed over the same thing as before. "Why are you so tense?"

"I'm not," he replied curtly, shuffling to pile the last of the equipment into the bed of the truck. He didn't turn around to face her, he barely acknowledged her. She felt a turmoil begin to brew in her mind remembering this feeling all too well. Anytime Daryl was mad at her he wouldn't even bother to look in her direction. Worry began to fill her stomach and sit uncomfortably like she was going to vomit. Did she do something to make him this way?

"It's not you," he sighed with the disapproval of the thoughts he knew she was having. Once the silence had gone on for more than a few minutes, Rick knew she was festering inside thinking that it was her own fault. Women always thought it was their fault and quietness often proved that. He felt her arms slide up to his shoulders again, holding them there for a few seconds.

"Do you need a massage?" Her teasing tone made him finally turn to face her, forcing her to drop her hands back at her side.

"No, I told you I'm okay." The thought pressed in the back of his mind of the spark that shot through him once her hands were on him. He _did _want one from her, just not with an audience, and not with Shane and Lori mooning over each other in his peripheral. He rolled his neck and closed his eyes in an attempt to get the dirty thoughts out of his minds eye that had reluctantly appeared at her touch.

"Fine," she folded her arms under her chest and pouted. She just couldn't win with men today.

"Later," he whispered more huskily than he had originally intended. She uncrossed her arms and placed them on her hips, looking up at him with a wicked smile.

"What does _later _mean?" Taylor's mind raced with a million ideas of what his suggestive tone had meant. She had to admit, fantasies about him had been springing up in her mind more frequently and she was having a harder time pushing them away than she used to. The look on his face made her suspect the same was happening to him.

"It means you should ride _with me _to the CDC," he kept his eyes locked on hers to gauge her reaction.

"Oh really?" She tapped her chin and pretended to think momentarily. "I'll think about it."

"You'll think about it?" He took a step back with his mouth slightly agape in shock. He couldn't tell if she was joking or being serious, but he was praying that it was the former. He was not afraid to deny that he wanted her company on the long drive there. Their last road trip had proven to be quite pleasant.

"Yupp," both her answer and the nod she gave were short and sweet. She wanted to see him sweat over it. There was an acute possibility that it had something to do with her being tossed to the side by Daryl. She kind of wanted to see how much different, and hopefully better, Rick would treat her.

"Well… who else would you ride with?"

"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders casually and turned her face away from him. "Maybe I don't want to be cramped up in a truck with you."

"I highly doubt that," he softly directed her face back towards his with his right hand. He let a sinful smile grace his lips when a blush spread across her cheeks at the contact.

"Ohhh, Mr. Arrogant is back for round two." She plucked Bailey up off the floor again and placed him in the middle seat. She shut the door and turned around to lean on it so she could face him again without saying a single word.

"I take it you're coming with me then?" His tone with soaked with arrogance and the smile transformed into a smug smirk. He knew he broke her down, either that or she had always planned to actually go with him- he couldn't be sure.

"I guess so," she flipped her hair over her shoulder and acted coolly not wanting to give his ego a bigger boost.

"My persuasive skills won you over." He took advantage of the way she was standing and held his arms out against the window, trapping her in between himself and the truck. She sucked in a deep breath and pressed herself back against it until there was no more room. The truck was tall enough that it camouflaged them into their own little bubble of privacy.

"You didn't even do anything!" She said defensively, still attempting to back up and melt into the metal.

"It was the look. I gave you the look and you caved," he couldn't help that his voice came out in a husky manner or that he was instinctively licking his lips. Taylor couldn't help the way her knees went weak with the exact look that he was referring to, which happened to be the exact one he was currently sending her.

"Oh my god," she held her hand up in defeat and giggled at the absurd conclusion he had come to since she didn't know what else to do. "You're a freak."

"The good kind of freak."

"I- I um," he laughed as she suddenly became indecisive on what to say. She always had a comeback and he was quite shocked that he had said something that left her speechless. Her mouth opened and closed two times like she was going to say something but backed out at the very last second.

"Is it okay if I kiss you now?" The way she was tripping over her own words and smiling shyly at him caused the incredible urge to kiss her increase tenfold. He had been patiently waiting for a long time but something had always gotten in the way. There was nothing stopping them now, not a marriage, not an intruding Glenn, and definitely not a redneck that she couldn't make her mind up over.

"You're… you're asking my permission?" She brought her hand up to her mouth to bite nervously at her fingernail. Their two almost kisses resurfaced and she felt the air drain from her lungs and her head spin slightly. _Is he serious?_

"Sometimes you seem apprehensive, so I just wanted to make sure it's okay," Rick's bright blue eyes were gleaming with hope. Hope that she would just say yes and he could finally stop imaging what her constantly pouting lips tasted like.

"Who said chivalry is dead?" She asked with a small smile before wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning up on her tip toes. As their brushed together she whispered softly, "yes."

Rick moved his hands down around her waist and pulled her flush against him letting their lips fully meet for the first time. Her tongue grazed his bottom lip making him rebuttal with a gentle bite of hers. He pulled away and peppered kisses down her jaw line to her neck, eliciting a subtle moan from deep within her. He smirked and continued his assault in that spot and let a hand drift up under her shirt, letting his fingers skim across the sensitive skin. He sucked and bit at the spot as she ran a hand through his hair and raked the nape of his neck with her nails. Taylor pulled back when she felt that they were getting too carried away. Her eyes immediately fell to the floor and her brain quickly reminded her to breathe again- his lips had made her forget everything.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she slowly brought her hands back to herself and wrung her wrists anxiously. Her timid voice made him furrow his eyebrows together and look at her with a questioning look.

"You don't need to apologize Taylor," Rick stroked her cheek tenderly with his thumb and beamed another one of his heart warming smiles at her. She sighed contently at his perfectness, he always knew what to do or say to soothe her.

"I just feel bad cause I stopped you. All we did was kiss," he leaned forward and kissed her forehead delicately then snickered at her adorable apology. The only not cute thing happening were his depressing thoughts, w_hat has been done to her in the past to make her feel so guilty all the time?_

He scooted the smitten blonde to the side carefully and opened the door for her. His grin broadened when a meek smile finally appeared on her slightly swollen lips. He resisted the urge to lean down and capture them for one last quick kiss before everyone would surely surround them and demand to leave.

"With you I'll take whatever I can get."


	11. Please Don't Leave Me

Author's Note: I'm so sorry it took forever for this update. I was busy with work, Christmas shopping, and a little bit of writer's block. I'm hoping the fact that it's a pretty long chapter will make up for the time gap(: Oh and there is a little bit of steamyyy love in this chapter, it doesn't get too bad though! This is rated T after all :P Oh! Oh! And some more fluff at the end. ;)  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: the guests, bigtimerushlover101, padme4000, ohlove103, and fabsch1.  
You guys are my sunshineee, my only sunshineee, you make me happy, when skies are grey. Haa. :D  
(I'm hyper right now, could you tell?)  
Thank you also to everyone who started to follow this story, or follow it!

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Walking Dead characters.  
And there are lines in this chapter taken directly from Season 1 Episode 6.  
^I don't own those lines.**

* * *

**CHAPTER ELEVEN.  
PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME.**

After an emotionally draining goodbye to Jim the gang was more than ready to make it to the CDC. As they drew closer they attempted to push away the depressing thoughts of one of their own being by himself when he finally passed. No one dared speak it, but it was well known that he would eventually turn into one of the lifeless walkers. The only thing that was even remotely comforting about the whole ordeal was the fact that he had made the decision himself, it was his last wish and at the very least he would be in a peaceful place when it happened. It didn't brighten their gloomy moods though nor did it make it easier to drive away.

The Winnebago was forced to come to an abrupt stop at the blockade that was put in place by the military. The line of cars behind it had come to a full stop as well. The numerous bodies and overwhelming stench that was attached to them made it obvious that the barricade had been compromised. It seemed like nowhere was safe at this point. There was too much death to take in, too many corpses to count, and hope was quickly fading. The whole group carried along huddled together as they approached the intimidating, massive building that reflected the city in its windows.

There were coughs and gags abound as the overpowering smell made their stomachs curl and their throats tighten. Most had covered their faces with their hands while others braved along only breathing through their mouths- which wasn't a lot of help regardless. The view alone was agonizing, add in the disturbing odor and they were better off inhaling poisonous gas.

Everyone hastily gathered in front of the steel metal doors that were securely tightened into the ground. Many exchanged confused glances wondering what was happening. Rick and Shane took turns trying in vain to open them but were both unsuccessful.

"There's nobody here," T-Dog spoke up from the back, calling out a phrase that nobody really wanted to hear.

"Than why are these shutters down?" Rick continued to look for a way around the matter, another door, window, anything really. He refused to give up when they had put all of their faith and effort into finding the Center for Disease Control in the first place. Everyone was banking on this and he wasn't planning on give up so easily because of it.

The focus was pulled from the doors to behind them when true threats began to make their way over. The dead bodies had been horrible to look at and smell but real walkers were much worse to deal with and the numbers were startling. They started to crawl and walk from all sides, cornering the little group where they stood.

"Walkers!" Daryl yelped as he swung around and shot an oncoming biter right between the eyes.

Carl turned to his mother and sobbed into her shirt as the helplessness set in for all of them. Lori held him tight and kissed the top of his head whispering 'it will be okay' over and over in an attempt to console him.

"This place might as well be a graveyard!" Daryl turned his anger to Rick when all else had failed.

"He made a call!"

"It was the wrong damn call," he lunged towards him in a fit of rage which always seemed to be his solution. He couldn't really help himself, violence was all he ever knew. What made him the most angry was that everyone was going to suffer over one wrong choice. Daryl was immediately stopped by Shane who shoved him back. Cassidy grabbed him the by the shoulder and held him away from the fight he was about to place himself in the center of.

"Shut up, you hear me?! Shut up!" He shot back with equal hostility and gave another push for good measure. Everyone fighting was not going to solve the problem at hand. Shane knew as well as anybody that bickering with each other was not going to get them out of the messy situation that they were in. They were surrounded by walkers and the CDC appeared to be abandoned. _Shit has hit the fan and we need to work together to get through this, _Shane took a deep breathe and tried to remember that he needed to convey that to the group.

"Rick this is a dead end…" He returned back to his ex best friend and implored with him to have reason. Rick had always been stubborn and Shane had a bad feeling that things hadn't changed.

"Where are we going to go?" Carol grabbed Sophia and mimicked Lori, holding the small girl close to her for protection. _Everyone _was on edge now.

"Do you hear me? No blame," Shane held his finger up making sure Rick's attention on him and not the steel doors that he was obsessed with trying to get into.

"She's right. We can't be this close to the city after dark," Lori's panicked voice was enough to make Shane realize that he was going to have to take control. Carl and Lori were terrified and it was his job to make it better. He momentarily wondered how Rick could forget about his weeping child behind him, but his gut feeling told him that his child was the whole reason he felt like he _needed _to get through those god damn doors.

"Fort Benning Rick, still an option." Rick ignored the pleading coming from Shane and stared down the building just praying that it would do them all a favor and magically open.

"On what? No food, no fuel, it's a hundred miles," Lori's voice was strong and stern but inside she was trembling in fear of everyone's safety. Her crying child stuck to her side was just another reason she had to remain strong and not break down.

"A hundred and twenty five, I searched the map." Glenn glanced over his shoulder to see the other dead beings making their way closer to them, drawing in on them like mice caught in a trap.

"Forget Fort Benning! We need answers tonight. Now!" Lori screamed out in a feeble attempt to get them to just listen to what she was actually saying instead of brushing her off.

"We'll think of something!"

"We don't have time to think of anything," Taylor had been quiet the entire time but she felt that she needed to finally open up. He wasn't listening to anyone's reason and the circumstances at hand were quickly becoming more dire.

"Let's go!" A chorus of pleas came out from almost every single person in the group.

"Please!"

"Come on, everybody back to the cars!"

"The camera… it moved." Rick held his hand out in a trivial effort to stop everyone from evacuating. He knew that someone had to be in there, watching them, contemplating on whether or not to let them enter. That was the only explanation he could come up with and he wasn't willing to walk away. Not now.

"You imagined it," Dale whispered while looking up at the identical camera he was speaking of.

"It moved…" He repeated quietly while making his way towards it in a cautious manner. "It moved."

"Rick, even if it did man, it's an automated device. It's cues, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on!" Shane grabbed him by the shirt and tried to force Rick's eyeline to meet with his. It was useless as the taller mans gaze was only fixated on the camera that he would be willing to swear on his departed mothers grave that it did indeed _move_. "Look around this place. It's dead, it's dead! You need to let go Rick!"

"I know you're in there! I _know _you can hear me!" Rick's frustration had spun out of control when he finally was forced to comprehend that the whole trip here was a waste. The gas, the food, the water, and everybody's energy was just _wasted. _He slammed his fists against the doors just to let out some of the fury that had quickly risen in his chest at the thought of turning away now after all this time. He would not let this go, it was his idea and he had dragged the group along with him. He couldn't let them down.

"Rick we _have _to go." Taylor stood by his side matching his motionless stance. Everyone had started to bail around them but she wouldn't just leave him for dead, even if he was being a little too tenacious and purposely refusing to accept the reality unfolding behind him.

"Keep your eyes open!" Shane called out behind him as he paced back and forth and watched the walkers gather around them. The smell had become so pungent that it was nearly suffocating them all. It was starting to look like there was no way out.

"Please! We're desperate. Please help us," he begged until his throat was hoarse from yelling. There had to be someone listening, there just _had _to be. In his mind he knew that if there was truly a god he would not let them go down like this. "We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left. Nowhere else to go. If you don't let us in-"

"Let's GO!" Shane couldn't stand by and let this go on any longer. It was being dragged out to an unbearable point. The whole entire group would be taken down if they didn't leave within a matter of minutes.

"You're killing us!" Shane grabbed Rick and used every ounce of strength he could muster up and dragged him back away from the shiny, apparently unoccupied building. There were yells and screams coming from every corner as the living dead surrounded them. They hadn't gotten more than a few feet when the most miraculous thing any of them had ever witnessed happened. The doors opened.

A blinding, white light spilled out onto the pavement in front of them like the tunnel to heaven many people had described seeing once they were on the brink of death. This truly would be heaven, a safe haven to escape the demolished world around them. Everyone stood frozen in place for a few brief moments, unsure if what they were seeing was real. The bright light illuminated them, making everybody almost melt together into one, unmoving mass. Rick started off with the group carefully following behind them, one step forward into the unknown white abyss.

* * *

After the brief introduction with Dr. Jenner, the only doctor left in the entire CDC, everyone had slowly started to become familiarized with what they thought would be their new home to ride out the apocalypse in. It had hit hard that he was the only person left there, but it was better than nothing. In all honesty it was far superior to being trapped outside where all hope had evaporated.

They walked down the everlasting hallway as Jenner explained about the rooms and facilities that they had available. It was hard for some to listen with so much alcohol running through their veins. Right before the tour they had a very filling dinner where the gracious doctor provided lots of delicious food and wine. Some had taken advantage of the latter.

"Every room has it's own bathroom, if you use the hot water please make limited use of it. Same with the electricity," Jenner stated simply while waving his hand in between the various rooms.

"_Hot water_?" Glenn whispered with a childish smirk. Almost everyone had smiled at the combination of the words hot and water. Bathing in freezing cold creeks and rivers got old very quickly.

"That's what the man said," Dale countered with an equally bright smile of his own. Dr. Jenner chuckled at everyone's reactions to such a simple thing which only made him wonder how _truly _awful it was on the outside.

"Some of the rooms have beds, others have cots, some just have couches. I guess you can divvy that up amongst yourselves." He looked down towards Carl and Sophia and smiled a little wider. "We have a rec room down the hall that I think you guys will like. Just don't plug in the games, okay?"

"Okay!" The two children called out in unison, making a sprint down the hall. They were pretty certain that they would find it even though they lacked the knowledge of where it was located.

"Sophia!" Carol gently pushed her way through everyone to chase after her rambunctious daughter. She let a few apologizes slip out as she squeezed past Jenner and the others.

The rest of the group split off to take claim to the rooms, and much to everyone's surprise the men let all the women have the rooms with actual beds. Shane and Lori had taken one room for them to share with Carl, which wasn't all that shocking everyone. No one had brought up the fact that they were all still in the dark and very confused about the Rick, Lori, and Shane situation; everyone had pretty much just let it roll of their shoulders since it wasn't really their business anyway.

"Thanks," Andrea tapped Jenner on the shoulder after the group had dispersed. "For all of this," she continued once he turned around to face her.

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "It's not a big deal, really."

"I think it probably was," she retorted boldly. He gave her a disconcerting look prompting her to carry on. "If it wasn't a big deal you wouldn't have waited so long to let us in. I'm not blaming you or anything… I mean, you don't know us but I just wanted to say thanks anyway."

"You're welcome," he smiled at her and nodded his head absorbing what she had said. She was right, he was playing it off like nothing but he was still a little apprehensive about the rash decision he had made. He announced his retirement for the night to everyone who remained in the hall and headed off hurriedly towards his own little wing of the building.

* * *

Shane shut the door quietly behind him and tip-toed into his joint room. He looked around perplexed that the room was void of Lori. He glanced around a few more times before finally hearing the water running in the shower. He shook his head with a small chortle and made his way into the ridiculously hot, steam covered bathroom. He promptly stripped his clothes off and laid them in a pile next to her discarded ones.

"Hey babe," Shane slithered his way into the shower behind Lori with a mischievous grin. He ran a single hand over her slick shoulder as the water poured down on them both.

"Where's Carl?" She asked turning to face him with a dark gleam in her eye. She knew where this was headed but had also remembered leaving Shane in charge of her son.

"With Carol and Sophia, she said she'd watch him for a bit," he ran his hand down further, skimming his fingers against her back as they dropped lower.

"Mmmm." The brunettes legs began to feel like jelly. Her body followed along soon after and Shane could tell she was about to be unable to even support herself and he would be in control, like a knife going through hot butter.

He kissed the crook of her neck and trailed down along her shoulder until she was moaning, whining, and begging. She ran a hand through his hair and he instantaneously pinned her against the wall of the shower. He kissed her feverishly with an intensity that she hadn't seen from him in a long time.

"I… love… you," she whispered in between his heated open mouth kisses whenever he finally gave her the chance.

"I love you too, _Mrs. Walsh_," he murmured into her ear while placing a gentle kiss below it. She cooed and giggled and like that she was putty in his hands. She had momentarily forgotten about the fact that she accepted his marriage proposal and that technically she was already his wife. There was no one that could make the divorce or marriage legal, so far all intensive purposes she really was Mrs. Walsh.

She bit her lip and sucked in deep, her breathlessness made it apparent that she was trying to keep from screaming out. His masterful hands were proving to be too much for her to handle at the moment. He pulled away from her just to look in her eyes for a moment.

"Even with all of this shit going on…" He swept his hand over the hair blocking her face and let a smile spread across his lips. "I still have to be thankful that you're alive, and you're _mine_."

* * *

"Hey Taylor!" Cassidy leaned her body halfway in and out of the rooms door frame She had on her signature snake like smile. Taylor placed Bailey up on the bed and rolled her eyes to herself before turning around and displaying a fake smile towards her not so friendly visitor.

"Yes?" She tried her best not to sound exasperated, though the attempt itself was taxing.

"Listen, I wanna put all of this shit behind us. I can tell you don't like me."

"You don't say?"

"_Come on_," Cassidy appealed to with her bottom lip poked out and eyes wide. Taylor scoffed that she had the audacity to pull a puppy dog pout. That was _her_ thing, and Cassidy didn't have an innocent bone in her body, it just didn't work. The blonde stopped over analyzing and listened to the rest of her speech. "I think we could honestly be great friends. Just come over to my room in like ten minutes so we can sit and chat. I snagged some of Jenner's wine," she said in a sing song tone before skipping back out.

"Ugh," she slapped her own forehead and ran the hand through her hair before plopping down on the bed with a theatrical sigh. "Is this a good idea?" She looked down at the pup who dropped his head onto his paws. He let out a little whimper and rolled onto his belly. "You're useless," she said rubbing his tummy lightly. "Cute, but useless. That's probably what they all think about me, huh?" She mused aloud to the fluffy dog who was too busy being in nirvana with all the belly scratching.

Bailey got up and crawled over to her lap sitting down neatly. He licked her hand and looked up at her in what she thought could only be his way of reassuring her. _I'm sitting here talking to a dog, maybe having another friend wouldn't be so bad._

Taylor got up and changed into a fresh pair of clothes that had been in one of the drawers. There were three pairs of identical gray sweatpants and white tank tops, she figured borrowing one pair of them wouldn't hurt.

"Don't go wandering off," she called over to her shoulder to the dog laying sprawled out comfortably on the bed. He rolled over at her warning and covered his face with his paws. She could have sworn he was making fun of her, than again, maybe she was going crazy. She knocked on Cassidy's door a few times with no answer. She knocked once again a little louder and there was still no response.

"Cassidy?" She pulled the door open slowly and called out rather loudly to make sure she gave proper warning in case she was changing. "Cass?" She walked in and saw nothing but an empty bed and room. "_Hello_?" Taylor felt silly talking to nothing but the shadows on the wall. Suddenly a loud manly groan came from the bathroom and a smooth girly giggle followed after. She felt her stomach tighten at the prospect. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew what she was walking into, she _knew _what she was going to find. She held her hand out and let it hover over the doorknob unsure if she wanted to risk this invasion of privacy.

"Daryl!" The throaty shriek of pleasure made her step back and immediately retract her hand. Taylor swallowed the bile that had built up in her throat in an attempt to not choke on it. She closed her eyes and inhaled the deepest breath her lungs could manage and took a few steps backwards.

_How dare she?! This was a set up. Cassidy wanted me to walk in on this and if I go barging in it will only be playing right into her plan. I have to go, I have to go…_

After having an internal battle with herself Taylor bolted out of the room and ran back to her own. She collapsed on the bed face down with a little thud. Bailey jumped up quickly to avoid the oncoming intrusion and curled up next to his weeping owner.

Taylor balled her fist up and gave a few good punches to the bed with a loud screech that was masked by the blanket. She continued to cry for a few minutes before sitting up. Taylor wiped her face off with the back of her hands and shook her head at her own reaction; this was also exactly what Cassidy wanted. The little she devil wanted to get a rise out of her, light a fire under her, and that's exactly what she accomplished.

"They are FUCKING in the shower," her voice strained as she spoke down to the clueless dog beside her. "He really chose _her _over me?" She felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes again and she couldn't shrug them off like she was expecting. They poured out again as fresh new streaks took the place of the ones she had just wiped away. She gathered her knees up to her chest and held them there, quietly sobbing into them. A knock at the door broke her from the dismal reverie she was trapped in.

"Taylor?" Rick knocked a second time when no one answered. He let the door creep open leisurely until he saw her sitting on the bed huddled up into herself crying, then he flung it back shut quickly. Rick took long strides as he approached the melancholy blonde who seemed to be oblivious to him. He slowed down as he got closer taking cautious steps like she was an animal in the wild.

"Taylor?" Her head snapped up once she realized that he was next to her. She sniffled and dug the palms of her hands into her eyes to try and stop the flooding of tears. He sat down carefully next to her and rested a hand on her knee. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she whispered and turned away quickly to hid her puffy eyes.

"You are honestly the worst liar," he let a little chuckle slip out before moving his hand up and placing his fingers under her chin to redirect her eyes back to him. "What happened?"

"Cassidy- she… made it so… I… walked in on… something." She drew in ragged breathes in between the words as she tried to regain her composure.

"Oh," he shook his head and rubbed the stubble that had began to grow on his chin. "Why does that upset you?"

"Because! 'Cause he has known her for like two _days _and he knew me for months," she knew what Rick was getting at. She was overacting to something she shouldn't even care about but that didn't mean that she could just stop her emotions from happening. It tore her in half that she _loved _him and he wouldn't do anything with her; there was never any kissing and hugs were a rarity. "I wasn't good-"

"I hope you don't plan on finishing that sentence with enough. Taylor if you think you weren't good enough for him than you are dead wrong. He's the one that isn't good enough for you…" he grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap, letting her lay her head on his shoulder. She whimpered as he hugged her tight and continued, "You're beautiful, smart, funny, and caring. I wish you could see what I see."

"Thanks," she pulled away and looked into his icy blue orbs that were fixated on hers. "I feel better now."

"I just speak the truth," he smiled and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her forehead. He maneuvered around so she was back on the bed and he was standing before her. "You should probably get some sleep," he rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a crooked smile.

"Okay…" she crawled up to the top of the bed and sat Indian style in front of the pillows. "But I wanted a _real _goodnight kiss," she smirked impishly at him.

"I can fix that," he walked over to the side of the bed and waited as she propped herself up on her knees to lessen the height difference. Taylor stretched up as he bent down and their lips crashed together at the halfway point. He slid his hand behind her hair and rubbed the nape of her neck while her hand climbed up his chest underneath the clean white t-shirt. Just as their hands and tongues began to truly fumble he pulled away and winked at her.

"Okay, goodnight."

"_Heeeyyy_," she whined as she sat down with a pout and crossed arms. "That's not fair!"

"Life's not fair," he grinned at her before starting for the door.

"But!" She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, fluffing it in defeat. Taylor twiddled with her thumbs and looked dejectedly down towards her hands. "Can you just…" She whispered, making him turn around and wait for her to finish. "Please don't leave me."

He flicked the switch off leaving the room pitch black with the only illumination coming from the small clock on the nightstand. Rick lifted up the blanket startling Bailey enough to make him scoot towards the end of the bed. Once he was finally in the bed and situated he slid next to Taylor and slipped his arm over her stomach and pulled her closer to him. He leaned down to kiss her bare shoulder softly before relaxing his head back onto the pillow. A small smile formed when she relaxed into his form making them fit together like puzzle pieces.

Taylor suddenly mumbled something that was inaudible from Rick's side of the bed.

"What?" He asked groggily in a half-asleep, half-awake state.

"I said I wish I could sleep like this every night," her eyelids fluttered closed after the confession was poured out to him.

"Who said you can't?"

"So you will?"

"Of course," Rick snaked his other arm underneath the gap between her neck and the bed and kissed the small space in between her shoulder blades. "Whatever it takes to hold you in my arms, baby."


	12. We Used To Be Friends

Author's Note: Man I have been slack-a-lackin' on updates and I'm truly sorry. I guess I've just been dealing with a lot of writers block and lack of time to actually sit down and write. I'm hoping that this chapter is liked because it gets into one of our smaller characters head, and gives you a little glimpse of how the Taylor/Daryl story came to be.

Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter: fabsch1, guests, padme4000, bigtimerushlover101,and mrskaz453.  
Also to those that have favorited/subscribed. Every single one of you are sincerely awesome! :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Walking Dead characters.**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWELVE.  
****WE USED TO BE FRIENDS.**

"What's wrong, Carl?" Shane ruffled the small boys hair in an attempt to make the frown disappear.

"Nothing," he shrugged his shoulders and looked away; he really wasn't in the mood to discuss his grievances at the moment. Although the chance to speak his concerns was pretty tempting.

"You seem upset little man."

"Yeah, a little." He sat down on the side of the bed and repeated his earlier motion, rolling his shoulders up and down.

"Well shoot." Shane peered down at him with concern in his eyes. It worried him that the normally talkative child had been so quiet since they had arrived at the CDC.

"I don't know if I-"

"Hey, there's my two favorite boys!" Lori chirped as she entered the room and shut the door behind her. She plopped herself on the bed and smiled between the two before it flipped downwards when she noticed Carl's downtrodden face.

"What's wrong baby?" She set her hand on his shoulder trying to console him. He shook his head and let his frown fall further.

"I uhm… I don't want to talk about it…" He warily glimpsed at Shane before returning his gaze to his hands that were sitting neatly in his lap.

"Shane," Lori looked over with a sympathetic half-smile, "do you think you could leave for just a sec?"

"Sure, no problem," with that he stood and made a hasty exit. The second the door shut Carl looked directly down at his mother's hand and the new ring that stuck out like a sore thumb.

"You… you aren't wearing the ring dad gave you." He pointed his small finger towards hers that donned the ring Shane had given to her a few days prior.

"What?" She stared at him quizzically.

"That's a different ring! I know it," he furrowed his eyebrows angry with her decision. He wasn't stupid, he may have only been eleven years old but that didn't mean that he was oblivious to everything.

"How do you even-"

"There was a picture hanging above the TV… it was the black and white one, with that close-up of yours hands together. I'm pretty sure it was from your wedding." Lori nodded as he spoke knowing exactly which picture he was referring to. "I looked at it every day before I went to school. It reminded me that even though you guys were fighting a lot that you really loved each other."

"That's beautiful baby," her heart broke at his words. She truly did not know that he had done that or felt that way and now felt awful that she was putting him through this. It really never crossed anyone's mind that Carl had been affected negatively by everything that had happened. Sure everyone knew that he was devastated by the plague, the zombies, the fighting, and the death. But the separation of his parents? Not so much.

"Yeah and you ruined it! Shane gave you that ring, didn't he?" His eyes narrowed as he became more frustrated with his mother trying to brush everything under the rug.

"Yes, but it's very complicated baby."

"So you got rid of daddy's ring?"

"Yes." She grimaced after her brief answer knowing how he was going to react. His eyes dropped to the ground in disappointment and he mumbled a few inaudible words under his breath.

"So if Shane is my other dad than Taylor will be my other mom?" He looked up with a scrutinizing glare.

"What? No. Taylor is just-"

"Why is it different?" Carl abruptly cut her off before she could make an excuse.

"Excuse me?" Lori had no idea where his hostility on the matter was coming from. She knew he was upset but did not expect anger to be mixed in with it.

"Why can Shane be my second dad but Taylor can't be my second mom?" It wasn't that he really wanted it to be that way, he just wanted his mother to admit that she was being biased with the whole situation.

"Because Shane isn't your second dad, he's your step-dad and I don't even know how to explain your father and Taylor." She replied bluntly. Her and Shane's history ran deep compared to her ex-husband and his new 'girlfriend' that did not know each other all that well.

"Whatever. It doesn't even matter… we'll all be dead soon anyway!" Carl ran out the door and slammed it firmly behind him. Lori stared in shock at what she could only fathom was an outburst from all the confusion his parents were causing him. She knew she had to sit down with Rick and have a talk if there was any hope for Carl's sanity.

* * *

Daryl sat at the lone table where everyone had previously gathered for dinner. He was by himself with no company other than the shimmering golden bottle of whiskey in front of him. He took a swig and let the familiar hot burn of the liquid slide down his throat. It caused a pleasant sting; it was one that reminded him of the years past when drinking was to drown out of all his problems. As he sat kicking back the drink alone, he realized that this was exactly what he was doing- trying to drink his problems away. This was different though, he couldn't chug enough alcohol in the world to make the dead stop rising, or bring Merle back, or make the protruding thoughts of Taylor with Rick go away. He wouldn't admit any of those feelings out loud though, he would not be labeled a softy.

A distinct figure made their way down the ramp that extended from the living quarters. With a startled look she jumped back which only made him laugh.

"You can come sit, I ain't gonna bite." She hesitantly watched him as he took another gulp and placed the bottle back down on the table gently. Taylor sighed and took the seat next to him being very careful to not make eye contact with him.

"I'm not talking to you."

"It sure sounds like ya are," he chuckled and handed the bottle over to her, holding it mid-air for a few seconds until she begrudgingly took it.

"I've never had this before," she furrowed her eyebrows as she spoke to make sure that he knew that even though she was joining him, she was still very much upset with him. She looked down at the amber-colored bottle and swished it around, examining it closely.

"Just take it sip," she kept her angry pout on and turned slightly to the left before trying the tiniest amount possible.

"That's disgusting," she scrunched her face and quickly handed the bottle back over to him. "Don't you have anything a little more... girl friendly?"

"Vodka?" Daryl stood up from his seat and walked over to a cabinet. When he came back over to the table he had magically produced a dark blue glistening bottle of Skyy Vodka. Taylor skeptically looked it over once and gave him a questioning look.

"Where did you get all of this?"

"I guess someone forgot it... they were in the room I'm stayin' in." She downed a good amount without so much as a flinch as he spoke. He put his hand up to the bottle and tilted it down away from her mouth. "Slow down tiger."

"I can handle my liquor, thank you," she replied curtly at his suggestion that she was a light weight. Technically she was one of the girls that thought they could match up to the boys in their drinking skills but always ended up a hot mess. After a few especially rough times in college she had decided against trying to out drink a guy; however, this particular occasion made her want to up the ante again. It was most likely due to her anger with him and the jealousy that threatened to boil over, but she would never admit it.

"That's what all you women say, next thing ya know you're in the bathroom hugging the porcelain begging me to never let ya drink again."

"I take it that's from experience?" She giggled and took another small sip before kicking her legs up on the empty chair beside her.

"Plenty of experience," he stated flatly trying to not let the thoughts of all the high school parties come back into his minds eye.

An hour later Daryl had nearly polished off his bottle and Taylor was about half way done. She was definitely past the point of being tipsy and Daryl could say he had a little more than a buzz. He knew drinking with her wasn't the best of all ideas being that the more he drank the more of an open book he became, and really the last thing he wanted was anybody to know about his past - including Taylor. There was also the issue of getting a case of 'the emotions' after drinking excessively, another problem with the blonde around.

"It's all crazy isn't it?"

"Whattya mean?" He picked up the bottle and took the last straggling sip left before throwing it in the nearby trash. His eyes fixated on the wet ring that was left on the table after he removed the drink from its previously situated position.

"How all of us somehow survived. Like we were all picked, destiny you know?" She took another shot worthy gulp and turned full circle before meeting his eyes again.

"Destiny? Bullshit."

"You don't think it's weird that you came into the attic _seconds _before I was going to pull that trigger?" She swallowed hard thinking about the pure coincidence that saved her life.

"Nope," even in his hazy inebriated state he would not be swayed into thinking like that. He was never one to believe in fate, destiny, the world was created from some all-knowing being, 'you were put on this planet for a reason', load of bull. "You didn't tell anyone about that did you?"

"No..." she let her eyes fall away from his as the day flashed before her eyes.

"Rick?" He rose his eyebrows expecting a 'yes' to tumble from her lips. Of course it sent a little jab of jealousy that she confided in Rick now instead of him, but everyone knew Daryl Dixon did not have a jealous bone in his body...

Instead of a vocal answer she merely shook her head from one side to the other.

"How would I just tell that story? Oh yeah did I mention that before I was with this group I was left dying of dehydration and hunger and was just about to kill myself when someone saved me? Oh and he had to _beg _me not to, and to give him the gun. One more thing, that person _begging _me not kill myself was Daryl. Yeah... the hard ass that has no compassion or feelings, that one."

"So ya don't tell anyone cause ya think it'll embarrass me?" He snorted and grabbed her drink to take another slug before handing it back with hard eyes. "Or cause yer embarrassed that you were gonna off yourself?"

"NO. I don't want to lead into the conversation of how my FIANCE left me for dead in that godforsaken attic. That he put a gun in my hand and told me that if he didn't come back in a day or two I should just end it. Yeah, because that's not completely humiliating"

"It's not you're fault-" He attempted to cut her off before she went on another tangent but she completely ignored him and continued on.

"I wasn't good enough for him, or for you, as if I need to have more reason to feel like shit and have other people know about it."

"Why do you always gotta bring that up? That wasn't the reason and you know it." His voice hardened as soon as she opened that can of worms again.

"That's what I believe," she whispered once his voice had risen and she could see it was getting to the point of their fight the day they left camp.

"You're a really shitty liar girl," he scoffed and ran a hand over his face in exasperation. He frowned when he saw a single tear roll down her face. "_This _is the reason it wouldn't have worked. None of that you're not good enough crap. This is what I'm talkin' bout Taylor," he wiped the tear away. "I can't be the kind of guy ya want and we'd both be foolin' ourselves to think otherwise. I ain't the lovey dovey flowers and candy type. To me that's all stupid, faggot type shit and I know to you it means a lot. And ya know I ain't one to sugar coat it or tell ya what ya wanna hear." He did not hold back on his speech feeling like this would be his only chance to finally make her understand what their falling out was truly about. He didn't mince any words either which only made her crestfallen frown grow deeper.

"I don't care, I never did care that you weren't like that."

"You do! You've always been too blinded to see it. You're trynna make compromises to make it happen but ya shouldn't hafta. No one should hafta compromise their wants and needs. Trust me you're the type of girl who _wants _and _needs _that stuff. I won't let myself hurt ya like that, you've been through a lot of shit already n I don't plan on makin' it worse."

"I don't know what type of girl I am anymore," she sighed and felt a tightening in her throat that could only mean she was trying her hardest to not cry. Even if she didn't know it she was attempting to restrain tears.

"Ya want me to be Prince Charming just cause I saved ya. Like we're gonna ride off into the sunset together but dammit we ain't."

"But- we could try. I could try and you could-"

"Blondie I could try til the cows come home it ain't gonna make any difference," now he was trying to be as gentle as possible with the situation as he could be, but he knew she was going to be hurt no matter how he went about it. Not to mention he wasn't even aware a sentimental side of him like this existed; it was true that it could have been the booze coursing through his veins but then again no one could be sure. He kissed the top of her head like he had done a handful of times in the past and began to get up to leave. He barely made it a foot away when her voice stopped him.

"Daryl?" He spun slowly on his heels and faced her with a slanted smile on his face from hearing her speak his name, he would again blame the alcohol but it was still debatable As much as he wanted to keep walking and get himself out before it was too late, he found it that it was an almost impossible task.

"Do you remember the one night I was up every hour with night terrors?" He nodded without a word, it was a rough night for them both. "The next morning I woke up and there was a single flower laying on your pillow. It was just a tiny pink flower but it was beautiful..." he smiled at the memory that seemed so distant now, he had went through five walkers and numerous thorn bushes before he found that damn flower. He was semi-stunned that she still remembered it.

"And then a few weeks ago I would not stop 'bitching'," she used air quotes to use the word that Shane had used to describe it, "about craving chocolate and you came back from a town run with Glenn," she smiled to herself replaying the scene in her head. "You handed me a Hershey Bar and told me to stop my whining."

"Yeah I remember 'em both," he tried to follow where she was headed but came up empty-handed. He had no idea what the point of reminding him about some of the silly, insignificant things he'd done in the past was.

"I think you're better at trying than you think, and I really believe that you're a flower and candy type of guy... in your own, Daryl Dixon, kind of way."

He chortled at her comment and briefly bought into what she was saying, but as more tears fell from her eyes at his expense, he knew he would never be able to try enough. Realistically speaking he couldn't change the person he was anyway, whether he really wanted to or not- which was up for argument in its own right.

"Good night Taylor," she stood up at his words and expected that with the whiskey flooding his system she could probably weasel a hug out of him. She got a little more than she expected. His lips pressed against hers in a rash decision that would surely bare consequences in the future. Neither could find it in themselves to pull away though. Daryl willed himself to stop before he created even more devastation within her when he would surely say it was never going to happen again. They locked eyes and the tear rimmed blue eyes that looked back at him had a gravitational pull that forced him back for a second round. Right as their lips were about to make a reunion a voice forced the two to jump slightly and immediately separate.

"Hey you coming to bed?" Rick tottered between the hallway and the entrance to the main room. Taylor looked between the two men and bit her bottom lip as her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She nodded to Daryl and walked over to join the waiting man. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and leaned down to whisper in her ear. She knew he had been drinking as well, where he got the alcohol was irrelevant, all she knew was that he was feeling frisky and she was feeling like she was in the wrong persons arms. He slipped his arm around her waist and began to tug her down to their now shared bedroom. Taylor turned her head behind her to quickly grab a last longing glance at him. Just seeing the pleading 'I want you to save me' look in her bright blue orbs pulled him back to that day in the attic.

_"You okay?" Daryl finished climbing the stairs to the musty attic. He gave the girl a once over and noticed that she appeared to be starving and had a nasty gash on her arm, it was already sewn up but was in desperate need of an antibiotic. His eyes quickly averted to her shaky hand that was holding a gun to her temple._

_"Stay back," she warned with her voice cracking in the sheer terror of what was to come. _

_"Look, just... put the gun down." He brought both of his hands up in a surrender motion to show that he didn't have any weapons. His crossbow was slung across his back in its usual fashion but that was hardly a threat with the position his hands were in. _

_"Just go away!" She shrieked out, just wanting all the pain and suffering the new hostile world had brought her to be over._

_"Gimme the gun," he attempted to coax her out of whatever stupor had encapsulated her. He didn't know what had taken over him, normally he would have just walked out and let whatever was going to happen, happen. This didn't seem right though, although she appeared emaciated and had an infection she could still prosper and live in the world. Their group was rather open to taking survivors and there was no reason why she should be taking an out now, not after he was living proof that there were other survivors. _

_"No," she lowered it to herself and held it tightly to her chest. He let out an imaginary sigh of relief in his head, at the very least he stopped her from committing the undo-able act._

_"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered attempting to get closer. She scurried backwards until her back was pressed against the wall. Once the gun wasn't at her head all he could focus on were her shocking blue eyes that seemed to bore into him. The look in them was just begging to be saved from everything she had been through, something deep within him made sure he was going to do just that. "Please, just give me the gun."_

_"Why should I trust you?"_

_"Because I'm probably the only person you've seen in weeks that doesn't see you as a meal. Please," he had bent down on his knees and held his hand out. She handed it over reluctantly, retreating backwards once he had taken it. _

_"You're gonna be okay," he tucked the weapon away and held his hand out to her, still unable to tear himself away from those piercing blue eyes._

Once they disappeared into the endless hallway he sat back down onto the chair that he had been occupying. He began to drink the vodka that she didn't finish, he could not shake the feeling of guilt or sadness, and was far too bombarded with thoughts to go to bed. A heavy sigh escaped from him as he glanced back at the empty chair.

"Damn Taylor, what are ya doin' to me?"


	13. Dirty Little Secrets

**Author's Note: Oh man! I have to address some stuff, don't I? Well first off, I like that everyone gave some input, it makes me feel good that people care enough about the story to give suggestions (whether I agree with them or not is irrelevant). Okay so let me start off by saying this is not a strictly Daryl/OC story because that was the big issue I kept seeing. I will say that this was always meant to be a love triangle story line. This is meant to keep you guys guessing who Taylor will end up with through the whole story, and don't worry your pretty little heads because there are still a lot more chapters to go and a lot of guessing you will get to do! I'm hoping you like this idea of the love triangle cause I'm sticking with it since it's what I've had planned all along. Sorry if you're disappointed by this. :( Yay if you're intrigued!(: This chapter finally has the reveal of Shane's secret, now we'll all find out why he has a grudge with Taylor, she does hold a pretty damaging secret over his head.(; ENJOY!**  
**Thanks to the reviewers of last chapter: fabsch1, taylyons, beth, both guests, padme1000, bigtimerushlover101. You all earn a gold star*(;**  
**And thank you to anyone new that has subscribed/favorited! :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN.  
****DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS.**

Two long days had stretched by and although no one could really tell when it was night or day, besides from the clocks, they knew it had only been a few days. They were living in a paradise and it would be short-lived. Something deep down in their guts told them that, but they wouldn't speak it or even think about it, because who really wants to think about being out in that hell hole again? They would soon have to re-enter the land of the living, or technically land of the dead.

Andrea was walking down the hall towards her own bedroom when she absent mindedly ran into Dr. Jenner.

"Sorry Doctor Jenner!" She quickly apologized and gave him a faint smile when he looked away.

"Edwin," he whispered and turned back to her with a lopsided smile of his own.

"What?"

"My first name's Edwin, that's what you can call me. I'm not a doctor anymore," he fiddled with his hands at the confession, he hadn't meant to keep talking like that. He had a bad habit of keeping conversations short since he often said things he hadn't intended. This was definitely one of those times.

"You're still a doctor," Andrea titled her head slightly a little perplexed. She wasn't sure why he was suddenly so solemn.

"Right, right." He began to walk away towards an unknown destination when Andrea ran up and stopped him in his tracks.

"Is there something wrong? Something you wanna talk about?" She knew it was really none of her business but she couldn't shake the feeling that he knew something ominous that she didn't.

"No, why would there be?"

"You just seem... distant." She had attempted to choose her words carefully and thought that she did a pretty good job, until he spoke that is.

"I don't really know you people, remember? I wouldn't want to burden you with my thoughts anyway; they're not exactly pretty." He side stepped her and she once again cut him off.

"I've got time if you want to talk. I don't care how dark your thoughts are. They can't be any worse than mine..." she let her voice trail off as the image of her sister dying in her arms flashed through her mind in a quick fashion. "I can listen... maybe even help... Edwin."

He smiled when she spoke his name. Although he really wanted to just go lay by himself in his room and drink the horrible thoughts away; there was something in Andrea's smile and the sincerity in her voice that made him go against his better judgement.

"Okay, that sounds great."

* * *

"I don't know how else to go about this so I'll just come out and ask I guess," he inhaled a sharply and locked into a dead stare with her. "Is there something between you and Daryl still?"

"Um," she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as a distraction from the gaze that was currently boring into her. She suddenly felt uncomfortable. Not to mention she wasn't completely sure what to say in response since she didn't know the answer for herself. Technically she did know, but she also knew that there would always be doubt that lingered in between the simple yes and no answer.

"I mean, I know I was drunk the other night but it just seemed like I walked in on something," he was pretty sure that an event of significance happened but he didn't want to falsely accuse her and push her further away. Rick had always been a quick learner and with Taylor it was no different, he easily caught onto the fact that she was very timid when it came to the men department. On more than one occasion he had to remind himself to be careful with her, like he was dealing with a fragile piece of glass, one wrong word and she would be shattered. He wouldn't make her cry the way that Daryl did, not after being the one that had to see her so broken and hurt. Rick was determined to pick the pieces back up and put them together not break them apart even further.

"Do you want an honest answer?"

"That would be best," he sighed and ran a hand through his slightly-longer-than-he'd-like hair anticipating the worst. Rick kind of expected her to confess her undying love for to Daryl to him. Luckily none of the terrible things that his mind had come up with escaped from her lips; all that came out were semi reassuring words.

"I mean... I don't think there is. I've been thinking about a lot of stuff for the past few days-" she stopped briefly and looked up at him. They were sitting closely together on one of the cozier couches in the rec room which they currently had to themselves. Being nestled into his body form made it hard to angle herself properly to look him in the eye but she shuffled to do so.

"I just don't want to get invested in you if you're all caught up with him," he pushed a stray hair out of her face which had become a habit for him and continued, "but just remember that I actually know what I want. I _want _to be invested in you and with the risk of being too _romantic, _I want you to want me."

"I do want you!" She protested a little louder than she meant and covered her mouth quickly to prove it. "I'm ... I'm done with him. I'm choosing you. As long as you're still choosing me," she slid on his lap and kissed him lightly on the lips which escalated to hot and heavy rapidly. Soon hands were exploring and kisses were being placed on more than just lips. A sharp knock and clearing of a throat startled them enough to detangle themselves from each other.

"Sorry for interrupting," Shane slithered through the door and rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed on what he'd just walked in on.

"It's fine," Rick chuckled and moved a few inches away from her.

"Do you think we could get a second to talk? Just wanna ask for some advice," he added quickly and rolled his eyes for a good cover up. Rick had no idea that Shane's intent was not to ask for womanly advice in any way, shape, or form.

"Ya sure," he gave her a peck on the lips before taking his leave. "I'll be in the room Tay," were his parting words as he unknowingly left her alone with her nemesis.

"So," he slowly shut the door as soon as Rick was down the hall and out of sight. "I guess we have something to talk about. Huh, _Taylor?"_ The way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine, she knew he was not here to make small talk.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do. If I tell Rick he'll be crushed because I'm sure you just got done telling him that everything is fine and dandy. I won't let you hurt him. We may not be the picture perfect best friends anymore but I still care about him-" Her heart sank when she finally realized that he must have seen what happened the previous day. She could not believe it.

"What you saw was a mistake! And it's done and over with," she had to interrupt him in the midst of his little speech before he began to drawl it out, that was a tendency of his after all. Taylor covered her face as a shameful, hot-burning blush began to creep into her cheeks. The incident he was referring to was fresh in her mind. Everything happened so fast and spun out of control before she could stop it. She didn't know Shane was there, she didn't know anyone could see them, and she certainly didn't do it with the intent of hurting Rick; but that was the way Shane was going to twist it, wasn't it? That she was a she-devil with malicious ways meant only to hurt the innocent.

_"Why did you do that?" _

_ "Do what?" He waved her off and went back to playing his game of solo darts._

_ "Okay if you're going to pretend it didn't happen then I will too. But we're done, I'm never going to speak to you again! Since that's apparently what you want," she huffed and turned on her heels ready to leave the situation behind her. He grabbed her shoulder and stopped her from leaving just like he always did, every single time._

_ "I don't know why, dammit! I just did, okay?" _

_ "Yeah that's a great reason. Like that will make Rick feel any better. Daryl and I kissed because he just did it, for no apparent reason!-" She sneered at him completely fed up with all his twisted emotions that she could not make heads nor tails of. She would think she had him all figured out and he would turn on a dime and leave her with more questions than before._

_ "Will ya stop yellin?" He covered her mouth with his hand to stop all the screaming that was coming from it, the last thing they needed was more attention drawn on them. As if he didn't already have enough problems within in his own mind, let alone having others breathing down his neck. He suddenly jerked his hand back and grimaced. "Did you just lick me?!"_

_ "Yes," she smiled triumphantly and put her hands on her hips in a childish manner that she was accustomed to, "I don't like to be silenced."_

_ "That ain't no shocker. Been dealin' with that since day one," he wiped his hand off on his jeans and shook his head at her. No matter how much she acted like a child he still couldn't be mad at her for more than a few minutes._

_ "I don't have to put up with this," not even half-way through her turn he caught her and slammed her against the wall not too rough but not gently either. He gripped her wrists in his hands and pinned them above her head. Their lips crashed together for the second time but it felt like the first time all over again. He released her hands once he knew she wasn't going to protest. Her hands slid down to wrap around his neck as his promptly shifted underneath her shirt. _

_ Shane was just about to enter the rec room when he found himself frozen in place. The scene unfolding before him was unbelievable. Well, to him it wasn't all that shocking because he had suspected it all along, but to others it would be heart-stopping, and he had a very specific 'other' in mind. He almost instantly deduced that they did not realize that the door was left open a crack, enough to be peeked into undetected anyway. He watched as his hands moved up and hers down and turned away with a grimace. Should he go tell Rick now? No... he would confront Taylor, but not while she was in the middle of that. He would let her seal the deal and would have even more dirt on her! Maybe even enough that she would 'forget' the secret that he had been keeping. He took off in a mad dash back to his room to avoid being caught. _

_ Of course if he had stuck around he would have seen the moment swiftly change to depressing, but fate never really worked out that way and Taylor was never really lucky. _

_ "Stop," she tried in vain to back away but remembered that she was pressed against a wall, there was nowhere to go. "Just... stop."_

_ "What?" He looked genuinely puzzled._

_ "I can't. You- you can't! What about Cassidy? What about Rick? None of this feels wrong to you?" Taylor took a few deep breaths to regain proper breathing for her aching lungs. _

_ "No, I mean I ain't got nothing serious with Cassidy... and no one said you n Rick were exclusive," he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. She peeled her arms off of him and wished that he would do the same. Once he noticed the death glare she was sending him he abruptly followed suit._

_ "I can't do this. I can't do ANY of this anymore," she waved her hands in front of herself and pointed between them dramatically. "I'm going to stay away from you and you're going to stay away from me and it'll all be okay. We don't have to talk or even look at each other," she was rambling on out loud devising a plan that left Daryl standing clueless. He thought that maybe she had gone off the deep end talking to herself aloud, but then he realized that she was actually talking to him, distractedly of course._

_ "Taylor." He tried once and she continued on with her little plan, clearly off in her own world. "Taylor..." He blew out a frustrated sigh through gritted teeth and took her by the shoulders to softly shake her. "Taylor!" When she finally ceased speaking and looked into his eyes he furrowed his eyebrows and continued, "what the fuck are ya goin' on 'bout?"_

_ "Me and you!" She stepped out of his reach. "I- I don't want to do this but we can't be anything anymore, not whatever this is, not even friends. Just nothing." She bit her lip and looked to the ground for reassurance. "I can't hurt Rick... I won't hurt him, he deserves better, especially after what Lori did. So I just have to cut ties with you."_

_ "Why won't ya look at me?" _

_ "We're done. You were sure you didn't want to be my prince charming... I guess you can have what you wanted now," she sniffled and hurriedly left the room before he could catch her or talk her out of it. She would not let him suck her back into whatever emotionally disturbed, twisted, relationship they'd been in. She slammed the door behind her and left him empty-handed once again._

_ "What if I was wrong?"_

"Why should I believe that Taylor? You've been lying to Rick's face and you apparently care about him. You don't give two shits about me... so how can I trust your word?" He took a few steps closer to her with a dark gleam in his eyes. He was about to get his way, finally. This time luck would be on Taylor's side and his way was nothing more than keeping his dark secret under covers.

"I won't tell Rick about ... your thing," she whispered, somehow knowing exactly where he was leading with it all. Once he had said that he saw them she pretty much had a gut wrenching feeling that he was just going to use it as blackmail. Now she would never dare spill his secret, would she?

"Good, I guess we can finally see eye to eye now," he turned to leave feeling satisfied that his and Lori's secret would be kept good and safe.

"He should know though," she bravely spoke up against her better judgement.

"What did you say?" He whipped around with a small vein in his neck prodding out with every angry heartbeat.

"Rick deserves to know... It would crush- _devastate _him, but he should know. It's not fair," she twisted her hands together nervously. It wasn't often that she stuck up to him and even less so when she was alone with him. Shane would never hit a woman, but he just didn't see Taylor as anything more than a loose end that needed tied up a long time ago. He thought that catching her and Daryl would be more than efficient at solving the problem but she seemed to be getting antsy about it all. He supposed her getting closer to Rick was more of a curse than a blessing.

"You will_ not_ tell him-"

"I would never want to be the one to tell him that. I just think that him finding _that _out would hurt him a hell of a lot more than him finding out that I kissed Daryl," she took a few steps backward in case he was going to lunge, but he just stood stalk still.

"You said it was a mistake, right?" She nodded, knowing he was referring to the kiss. "Well what me and Lori did was a mistake. I... I was being stupid, they were just married and he was already in the hospital from a car accident," he sighed and relaxed a little, "we hooked up ONE time and it just so happened to get her pregnant. Neither of us could have seen that coming! Rick was too distracted to do the math but me and Lori knew... neither of us wanted to break the news to Rick so we _never _have. You don't understand, he already hates me for taking her away from him... please don't let him know that his prize possession-" he stopped and had to hold back a sob that was threatening to escape him. It had been years since it all happened but it was still so hard to swallow, he had slept with his best friends wife and they were barely two months into the marriage. He knew he was a bad person but just wanted to forget it, but there was a little brunette that made that memory always come back and remind him of the awful thing they had done. He looked Taylor dead in the eyes now without anger, just pleading for sympathy.

"Please don't tell Rick that Carl isn't his."


	14. I Knew You Were Trouble

Author's Note: Thanks to the continued support through the story. Even though it often takes me awhile to get a new chapter up, I do work hard on them so I appreciate any feedback or just the fact that people are actually following it! :) Thanks to any new favoriters or followers!  
And special thanks to the reviewers of chapter thirteen: bigtimerushlover101, taylyons, Kayla, Claudiaxbabii15, SangoIchimaru, and the guest.  
You guys are awesome sauce! :D  
Oh and just as a heads up, Daryl's angry in this chapter (shocker!), so expect some foul language! :x

* * *

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN.  
****I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE.**

"We have to tell the others..." Edwin looked hopelessly at Andrea, possibly waiting for her to volunteer to do it. That moment did not come.

"I don't know," she sounded skeptical and he just knew that he was going to have to be the one to break the news to everyone. "They might take it easier if it came from you."

"I figured that much," he rubbed his arm in that nervous tic kind of way that OCD patients usually did, over and over while he thought it through.

"I'll get everyone to meet out in VI's room." Andrea quickly stood up and dressed herself in appropriate clothes. She had been wearing pajamas and spending most nights in Edwin's room, not sleeping together in the sexual sense, just talking and enjoying each others company and warmth. It was a welcomed distraction from all the plaguing thoughts of her sister.

Dr. Jenner did the same as she had, getting dressed into regular clothing before making his way to their little meeting. He did so slowly, trying to drag it out before he had to actually break the horrifying news of the inevitable explosion. No one besides himself and Andrea knew that the whole establishment would be blown to smithereens in a matter of hours. Edwin planned on telling them the day before, and the day before that but the time just never seemed right. He never wanted to crush their happy spirits. The time for paradise had come to an end.

"Oh," he said when he came into the view of 'main headquarters' and saw that everyone had already gathered. Andrea must have put on her bossy pants to get them all there so quickly. "Um, thanks for coming out here..." he let his voice trail off as every nerve in his body tightened. He hadn't prepared a speech and did not expect to walk right into them all there already, staring at him, waiting for an explanation.

"What's so important that we all had to be dragged out here anyway?" T-Dog moaned from one of the seats, he had been taking a nap and did not appreciate the disruption. If only he knew what was coming he wouldn't have even considered napping.

"I just... well I have to..."

"Out with it," Shane grumpily called from his spot on the floor. He had his head in his hands and was still obviously worked up from the conversation he had with Taylor.

"Um," he found himself unable to speak. All he had to do was tell the truth, but that wasn't always so easy.

"The place is gonna blow up!" Andrea finally shouted, impatient that Edwin wouldn't just say it. She shook her head and surveyed all the shocked faces before her. Everyone's jaws seemed to have dropped all the way to the floor and their eyes were all wide as saucers. For a moment she thought that maybe nobody heard her or it just wasn't registering. There were no screams of panic, no whispers to one another, nothing. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop and that worried Andrea even more.

"What?" Lori finally had spoken, clutching tightly to Carl's shoulders. He still hadn't been one hundred percent comfortable with his mother since their argument, but at that moment there was no one he wanted more than his mother.

"The CDC is going to be blown to bits," Edwin had finally found his voice though it was barely louder than a whisper. "We all have to leave, or die."

"Thanks for being so delicate about it," Carol scolded as her weeping daughter sobbed into her shirt. She held Sophia close and shot daggers at Dr. Jenner. He hadn't intended for it to come out so harshly but that was just the way things seemed to happen with him.

"So what now?" Lori looked between Shane and Edwin expecting one of them to have a brilliant idea. Every body in the room was speechless.

"We have to leave, I guess," Andrea shrugged her shoulders finally speaking the words that nobody wanted to hear. They didn't want to leave the tropical paradise that they had come to love in the few days that they had spent there.

"How much time do we have?" Rick looked over at the clock that was counting down on the wall, they all had noticed it but nobody bothered to ask what it was for. He had a pretty good idea now, "is that how long?" He pointed to the giant, flourescent numbers. "Less than a day?"

"The power will start shutting down before that. We have maybe eight hours," he spoke matter-of-factly and still rather quietly due to the knot growing in his stomach and throat. These people trusted him and he let them down. He hadn't known them very long but there was at least one of them that he had grown fond of and if she was let down, they all were.

"Everyone get packing," Shane stated in a monotonous tone.

"I don't want to leave!" Carl cried out, making everyone in the room nod their heads in agreement. They didn't want to leave either, but it was a hell of a lot better than being blown up.

"We have to baby, I'm sorry," Lori kissed the top of his head which only made him wretch away from her.

"I'll go get my stuff," he forced himself out of her arms and stormed past everyone staring at the floor as he went. Truthfully everyone in the group wanted to react that way, cry, throw a fit, be angry, but they were all grown ups and had to act as such.

* * *

"Maybe it's for the best," Taylor whispered as she finished putting the few things that she had left into a knapsack. Bailey sat at the end of the bed whining, she figured he just knew that everyone was feeling a little on edge.

"What? You actually want to leave here?" Rick looked over with puzzled expression, confused with her sudden confession. He was under the impression that she liked it here as much as anyone else.

"No, well... yes." She sighed and threw the bag on the bed, startling the dog. "I don't know! We're stuck underground twenty-four seven. I _like _to see the sun every once and awhile, ya know? And honestly, I don't like that I'm always in such close quarters to _some_ people," she rolled her eyes momentarily forgetting that he was looking directly at her.

"Who would that be?"

"No one," she instantly regretting saying anything.

"Cassidy?" She shook her head at his first guess. "Daryl?" He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. With this newest revelation Rick was ready to leave too, the sooner she wasn't constantly twenty feet away from Daryl, the better.

"I'm sorry," she picked the knapsack back up and slung it over both of her shoulders respectively. Her eyes met with the floor to avoid his.

"Hey, stop it." Rick's hands cupped her face delicately, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Don't be sorry for something you can't control. What'd he now? Should I kick his ass?"

"Nothing, he did absolutely nothing, and I feel like that wouldn't be the best of all ideas. I'd end up having to sew you up again," she frowned and he kissed her lips gently. Once he felt them turn upwards into a smile from the kiss he let his hands down, drifting towards the line where her jeans and shirt left a gap of exposed flesh. His fingers skated across her hips towards the small of her back.

"It's a shame we had to stop the other day," his eyes flashed and a wicked smile spread across his lips. Taylor was happy for the distraction from their Daryl talk and kind of enjoyed Rick's darker side.

"Well it would have been awkward to do that with Carl sleeping on the couch," she nodded her head over to the small sofa that was in the corner of the room. The previous night had started out with the two exploring new territory, that is until Carl knocked at the door pleading with them to sleep in their room for the night. Taylor happily agreed, and Rick was also pleased that his son was showing interest in him again- though his lower half was not as thrilled with the child's poor timing.

"Well he isn't here now," he began to trail kisses down her neck and took his time to nibble and suck at a tender spot he had come across. Once another one of her moans escaped all bets were off.

"We... can't," her poor attempts at protest urged him to continue on.

"Whose stopping us?" He slid the knapsack backwards off and let it fall to the ground carelessly. After that small distraction was out of the way he pulled her shirt off in a quick, swift motion that seemed to be effortless.

"The..." her breath hitched for a moment as his hands began to unclasp her bra. "This entire place is going to explode!" She shifted herself out of his grasp. "That doesn't bother you?"

"No, we've got a few hours. Everyone won't be ready to go for awhile anyway. What's the point in sitting around?"

"I just need a second," she doubled over as her head spun in circles and her hearing tottered in and out. "I... I can't breathe."

"Okay wait." He grabbed her as her knees buckled and she nearly hit the floor. "Just sit down for a second," he placed her the bed and bent in front of her, his concerned eyes watching her chest rise and fall at an alarming rate. "I think you're having a panic attack." Rick knelt down in front of her and smoothed her hair out of the way. He held her hand tightly hoping that it would soon pass. It only took a few moments for her breathes to become steadier and the color to flush back into her cheeks.

"Sorry, I don't know what happened," she inhaled deeply and nearly jumped out of her skin at the knock that came from the other side of the door. He glanced over his shoulder at the noise but turned back to her quickly.

"I'm just happy you're okay." He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Before either of them could move the visitor let the door swing open idly. He let out a low scoff and shook his head with an impassive smirk.

"Sorry," he looked over the scene and came to the obvious conclusion. There they were on the edge of the bed and Taylor was barely dressed, it didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. "Shane said to make sure everyone would be ready to leave soon."

"Here," Rick handed Taylor her shirt as he nodded towards the door, "just gonna use the restroom real quick and then we'll be ready." She slipped her shirt back over her head without looking up. The second the door clicked shut he ran a hand over his mouth and let out a bemused chuckle.

"You fuckin' kiddin' me?" In a blind rage Daryl's fist connected with the wall, leaving a nice dent in its place. Bailey immediately scooted himself under the bed and Taylor visibly jumped. She bit her lip and finally forced herself to look up. She opened her mouth to speak but was instantly shut down, "Save it." As the tears welled up he turned to leave, "go cry on your fuck buddy's shoulder."

The door slammed and he stalked away without looking in any direction besides forward. He was going to get his things and leave. He could not stand being in this place for one more moment. The air was stale and he couldn't hunt to blow off steam. The longer they were here the higher the risk became of him beating someone to bloody pulp. There was nothing to do there to take his mind off of all the other things that threatened to push him over the edge as well: his brother, Taylor and Rick, Cassidy suffocating him, he was too pent-up here and it was beginning to show.

"Hey did you-"

"Yeah, they're coming," Daryl quickly cut Shane off before he could finish. He didn't give him a second glance before leaving him in the dust. He opened the door with a little more force than necessary causing it to crash into the wall behind it.

"You okay?" Cassidy peered up from her bag and noticed the scowl that had entrapped his features.

"Fuckin' peachy," he grabbed the crossbow from the corner of the room and pulled it over himself, adjusting it on his shoulder until it sat comfortably. He gathered up a few miscellaneous items and dumped them into a bag.

"Yeah you sure look it," she chided after finishing the last of her packing.

"I just wanna get my shit n get out," his snarky reply made her reach out to grab his hand. He retracted it and backed up. "This isn't workin' out. When we get to wherever the hell we're goin', you and I ain't doin' this no more." He plucked the bag off the bed and left to go out the door.

"What? Sex with no attachments... I thought that's what you liked?"

"Yeah, so did I." He left the room and found no compulsion to go back. It turned out to be easier than walking away from Blondie. He thought of the nickname he'd given her and let a ghost of a smile cross his lips. The image of the kiss he'd just witnessed burned in the back of his mind and his smile quickly dissipated. He heard the voice of his former self whisper in his ear, _"Women are nothin' but fuckin' trouble. Daryl Dixon ain't never been attached to a girl n never will be." _He began to think his former self was just a lying asshole.

* * *

"So what? She's not going to tell him then?" Shane nodded his head at her question and she let out a huge sigh of relief. She swiped the sweat away from her forehead that began to build with the scare that Shane had just presented her. She knew that he confronted Taylor about the secret and they made an agreement to keep it under wraps. "Our secret is safe?"

"For now." He said solemnly as he grabbed all three of their bags and easily carried them out. Lori snatched Carl's wrist in her hand and dragged him along. Since Carl was now in tow they kept everything very vague, not wanting him to even get a whiff of what they were talking about.

"What do you mean _for now_?" They had nearly made it to the doors when he whipped around and she saw his face had fallen. This whole thing was truly eating him up.

"She said that she's not going to tell him. She also said that _we _should tell him," he sighed and dropped the bags near the door, they were still waiting for everyone else to come up so they could pack up the cars. "I think she may be right."

"What?! That's insane Shane we can't," she glanced down at Carl who was busying himself with looking out the window at the city. Her voice dropped to merely a whisper, "we can't tell Rick. He would lose it."

"_Anything _could make him lose it. Anything could make any one of us lose it! The longer we keep it from him the worse it's going to be when he finally finds out-"

"IF! If he finds out," she snapped and glared at him in disbelief that he was even considering telling him.

"He has someone by his side now, this is probably the most opportune time we're ever going to get. Down the line he might not have Taylor there."

"As if she's even there right now," she swatted her hand at the air and rolled her eyes. "You even said you saw her shacking up with Daryl. The little tramp."

"Hey!" He lightly grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to lock eyes with him. "I think I've given her enough grief for all of us. She doesn't need anymore."

"Oh so you're feeling sympathy for her now? Unbelievable." Lori shook her head and stepped out of his hands. She folded her arms across her chest and waited for an explanation.

"No I just... I might know how she feels."

"What other girl are you screwing on the side?" Her scrutinizing glare made him recoil and take a step back. He had never seen her look more angry.

"No one. I mean... it might not be black and white to her like it is to you. She always looks happy when she's with Rick. And when she realized I knew about her and Daryl she seemed genuinely upset, like she regretted it," he wiped his forehead off as Lori had done before. Their argument had made his body go into overdrive and the heat coming from the windows was being to take its toll.

"Fine you can take her side," she started but Shane interjected quickly.

"I'm not on her-"

"It doesn't matter!" She huffed and looked away feeling completely betrayed, "we're not telling Rick and that's my final word on the matter." She shuffled over to where Carl was contentedly pressing his face against the glass to get a better look at the dead zombies.

"Hey," Taylor bounded around the corner and smirked at the two. "Jenner said you guys left some, uh..." she glanced over at Carl and reworded what she was about to spew out, "_personal_ stuff in your room."

"I'll go get it," Lori began towards the hall when Shane quickly came up behind her. "I'll go too, there's something _else _I want to tell you." She shot him a weary look and then turned her gaze towards the child.

"Whose gonna watch Carl?"

"I can," Taylor gingerly offered up her services with a shrug of the shoulders. Lori scowled but finally nodded her head in reluctant agreement.

"Fine, we'll be back in a few minutes," she muttered and took off back to their room.

"Thanks," Shane was quick to add in, feeling slightly guilty after Lori's trash talking of her. Taylor ignored the dirty look that the brunette had shot her and approached Carl with caution.

"Hey short man, enjoying the view?"

* * *

A few minutes of bickering later and Shane and Lori were standing back at the lobby. Taylor and Carl were gone with only a lone Glenn struggling to get a few bags in their place.

"Here." Shane grabbed a bag and flung it over his shoulder with ease.

"Thanks," Glenn rolled his eyes at the emasculation Shane had just inflicted on him, he knew he meant well though.

"Where's Taylor and Carl?" Lori glanced around with painfully obvious worry sketched across her face.

"I thought I saw them go outside already, probably to the RV."

"What?! What if there's walkers?" Lori's voice had reached a new level of shrill that neither Glenn nor Shane had ever heard before. He winced and backed away a few steps in fear of his ear drums bursting.

"T-Dog already went out and picked them off. There weren't many... thinks they must have moved on while we were MIA."

"Okay," she let herself take a good breather, she knew T-Dog was well-trained with his gun and took comfort in that.

Once Lori had composed herself the rest of the group had migrated up front. They all exited quickly, although they still had roughly two more hours before the fireworks display; no one was really in the mood to take any chances. They gathered around the RV and everyone began making a game plan for who was riding where. That's when it happened. That's when the ground shook and the air erupted around them. Glass shattered, shards flew, fire burst through the air. The CDC had been demolished.

There were shrieks and yelps of utter disbelief, shock, and fear and everyone hit the deck to protect themselves.

"Where's Carl?" Lori stood up first and spun in a circle before frantically bulldozing through the RV. She ran back out with tears streaming down her face. By the time she exited everyone had slowly started to pull themselves up with stunned faces. "I thought you said they were out here!" She shouted at Glenn as both anger and sorrow flooded over her.

"I... I thought I s-saw them!" His stammering could only just begin to measure how shocked he was. _This can't be happening._

"You said we had two more hours!" Lori immediately turned her aggression on Dr. Jenner. She lunged toward him in a feeble attempt to attack.

"They must have made a miscalculation with the countdown!" He replied with only an ounce of defensiveness in his tone. He truly did feel awful but knew that he was not the one that made that damn clock.

"My baby..." she fell to the floor in front of him and wept into her open palmed hands that were smashed to her face. She continued to cry as Shane knelt next to her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. His own eyes were prickled with tears.

"No..." Was Rick's only word, he couldn't get out more than that, he was too busy trying to remember how to convert oxygen into carbon dioxide. He could barely breathe at that moment. He stood in stunned silence after that, too shell-shocked to react in any other way.

"No... he shouldn't have been in there!" She repeatedly thumped her fist against the dirt. Daryl exited the RV and looked around in confusion.

"What happened? I thought that-"

"What were you doing man?" Glenn gave him a sideways glance.

"Takin' a piss, geez. Can't leave for two minutes without somethin' blowin' up," he gave a stern look to Glenn but it instantly faded when he saw his face. "What?"

"It... it exploded earlier than it was supposed to... Carl and Taylor were still inside." He shook his head and his eyes fell to the floor, the doubt that it really happened was still overwhelming him. Daryl could barely believe it himself- in fact, he downright refused to believe it.

"What? No!" He tried to charge forward blindly deciding that he would rush in and miraculously save her, save them both if he could. Glenn held him back and gravely shook his head. "Taylor?" His voice was barely above a whisper as he stared at the burning ashes.

"Just forget it man," Glenn let his arm down when he knew Daryl wouldn't fight back. The view of the smoldering rubble was enough to make it clear there was no saving anyone.

"They're gone."


	15. You And Me

**Author's Note: Whew! This chapter is whopper! This chapter is a lot longer than any of the others and I hope you really like it. There's some Taylor and Carl fluff (as someone had suggested in the past) and it's pretty cute at times.(; ENJOY!  
Thanks to anyone who has added this story to their favorites/subscribes.  
Special thanks to those that reviewed chapter fourteen: bigtimerushlover101 and spritecokefanta. You guys rock my socks off. *_*  
**

* * *

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN.  
****IT'S YOU AND ME.**

Taylor and Carl came out of the nearby thick fields to find the area completely deserted. They both stood in complete awe of the scene before them, absolutely no cars, no people, nothing. The road was devoid of all life forms- dead or alive. It all seemed too impossible. They were only gone for minutes, maybe. Or was it longer? Carl had said he wanted to pick some flowers for Sophia to make her feel better. They went out into the field that was right next to the cars. They had been walking for a long time, and by the time the CDC exploded they had to walk quite a while to get back to the cars, or lack there of now. None of it made a difference because what they were seeing with their hardened eyes was real, everybody was gone.

"What..." Carl looked up at Taylor with wide eyes, his hands suddenly scraping at them in an animalistic way to keep from crying. Were his eyes deceiving him or did they really _leave _them? "Where is everybody!" His shrill cry made Taylor cringe and she slowly shook her head in response.

"I... I don't know." The next words that came out of her mouth were not from her conscious mind frame, no, they were just an automatic splaying of the obvious, "I guess they left us."

"LEFT US?!" His eyes swelled with tears and they finally spilled, falling over his cheeks in wave after wave of terror and outright neglectful pain. Taylor quickly knelt in front of him and embraced him in a hug, rubbing his back and whispering 'it'll be okay' over and over like a broken record.

"Carl, you _can't _scream," she surveyed the rubble and dying flames and knew that the explosion was going to draw walkers, she didn't need to be a scientist like Jenner to know that. She gently let him go while he continued to sob and slid her knapsack off. She dug until the very bottom and swiftly pulled the hand gun out that she had stolen when they were back at the camp.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted something that would turn out to be a blessing from the heavens above. She patted him softly on the shoulder and ran over to retrieve it, almost tripping over her own two in such a hurry to get back to the whimpering child. She snatched it off the dirty road and hustled back over to him. As she rifled through it she let out a deep breath that she momentarily forgot she was holding. It was like they had struck gold.

The large burlap bag must have fallen out of Shane's open hooded Jeep- either that or _someone _suspected that they would find it and need it. The bag contained quite a few weapons, a little food and water, and a map. There was a long deep red line drawn through some of the roads all leading to a highway. Was the group going to Fort Benning? Taylor couldn't be sure but knew that this bag and this map were their only hope of finding them again. Hell it was there only hope of surviving. She smiled for a short moment until the sobbing pulled her back to reality.

"But... but..." his hyperventilating breathes began to worry her, this had always happened to _her_, she never had to deal with someone else going through it. She smoothed his hair back and held his face in her hands, just like she imagined Rick would do to her, or Lori would do to him.

"Shhh... we're going to make it through this, we're going to find your parents, the group-"

"How?" His cries had slightly subsided from her calming touch.

"Because we have this," she unfolded the map and laid it out on the ground in front of them. "We follow this, we find everybody."

"But what about food? Water-"

"Check, check," she rummaged through the bag, opening it enough for him to peek inside with ease.

"Walkers?" Her heart sank at the devastating look on his face. It was clear that even at his age he knew that it would be next to impossible for them to survive if they encountered even _three _walkers at a time, let alone a group.

Taylor quickly peered over her shoulder when she heard grunts in the distance. The smell became overwhelming like it had the first day they had arrived there. She spotted a mass of walkers over the horizon, exiting the city and coming right towards the blast zone, directly towards them.

"Here," she handed him the gun that she had taken out of her own bag, in comparison to the ones in the bag it was the smallest; it could still kill a walker if necessary.

"Dad said I can't," he started, staring down at it like an unlimited shopping trip in a toy store was just presented to him.

"Well I'm not your dad and you're going to need it." She took Shane's shotgun, or at least she thought it was his, out of the bag and checked to make sure it was loaded. She took the larger bag and adjusted it over her shoulder, gripping it tightly to keep it from sliding it off.

"You think we can do this?" His sparkling eyes looked up at hers filled with nothing but absolute trust and hope. Taylor's heart melted and she smiled brightly at him.

"I can't think of anyone who'd be a better partner than you. It's just me and you for now shortman," she ruffled his chocolate-brown locks and handed him her small knapsack. He put it on like a backpack, it made him think of school and the old days, but just for a moment before the thought evaporated. "We've gotta go now."

Carl followed the exact thing- _things _rather- that her eyes were fixed on. He gulped and tried his best to keep a straight face as they crept along slowly in their direction.

* * *

"We've been walking for _miles _and _days_," Carl whined as they neared a fork in the road. Taylor took the map out of his little bag and eyed it for a few minutes, it was tough to read with it being so small. She really wished she had paid attention back at their fifth grade camping trip when they learned how to read maps. It seemed like such a stupid, unrealistic thing. When would they be stranded and need to know how to properly read maps? Those words surely did come back to bite her in the ass.

"I'm sorry shortman," she ruffled his hair and he giggled at the nickname. Taylor had always loved the show Hey Arnold! when she was younger, and the name shortman just seemed to fit him. It had stuck since the first time she said it.

"How much longer til we get to the highway?"

"We've got a little while to go-"

"Cause then we can get a car," he cut her off mid-sentence to continue on with his thoughts that she had stopped him in the middle of. He looked around and heard a rustle in the bushes, they both turned the second it registered in their ears, being on their own for just a few days had already fine tuned their senses. When nothing other than a bird flew from the trees they both lowered their weapons and exchanged wry smiles.

"I guess we're a little jumpy," she mentioned as she tucked her gun back into the front of her jeans. There had been a holster left in the 'surprise bag' that they found back by the CDC but she decided to give it to Carl. He barely knew how to use a gun and it just wouldn't make sense for him to not have a proper way to holster it. The last thing either of them needed was to die by their own mistakes.

"It's cause we're tired..." Carl yawned as added proof and put the gun back in the holster neatly. "When can we sleep again?"

"When we find another house to sleep in," she stopped her scrutinizing of the map and tuckered it back away safely into his small bag.

"But we've only found _two_, and one was a fucking shack!" He threw his arms up dramatically, it was something that he had clearly picked up from her.

"Hey! Don't say fucking," Taylor chided him not liking that he began to pick up all of her bad traits.

"Sorry," his eyes drifted towards the horizon where the sun was slowly but surely creeping towards its bedtime. "Back before the uh, apockalipse," he squinted as he tried his hardest to pronounce the word that he had heard the adults say time after time, "we had a swear jar at home. If mom or dad said a swear word and I caught them they had to put a dollar in it. Then at the end of the month I got to keep whatever was in it."

Taylor smiled warmly at his memory, although it wasn't hers it made her happy that he still remembered some good times. It was so hard for her to do it anymore. He nodded his head contently to show that he was done with the story.

"What happened if _you _said a bad word?" She asked with a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Nothing, I never said a bad word," his confidence made her chuckle as he looked up at her with a confused expression. He knitted his eyebrows together as if to silently ask, _why_?

"Then don't start now!" She finally quelled her laughter after they had walked for a bit more and it began to hurt her abdomen. Taylor glanced down and saw the worry in his eyes and she knew exactly why it was there. Her own eyes watched as the sun moved even further down than before. "It's going to be dark again soon, shit."

"You owe me a dollar, Tay Tay," he held out his hand mockingly waiting for a dollar to be placed in it.

"If I had a dollar, I would certainly give it to you." She smirked and shrugged her shoulders lightly because of his silly, yet sincere request.

"Look!" Carl began to run ahead of her and she hoofed it to catch up to the quick boy. Once they were a bit closer to where he was initially headed she let out an excited cheer. Carl whooped in a warrior yell and doubled back to hug Taylor with happiness vibrating his every pore.

"Good eye Carl," she smiled and stepped in front of him, putting her hand back to halt him from moving any further. "Stay here while I check it." She tentatively continued forward, taking each step one at a time and stepping as lightly as humanly possible. Her shoes never once skitted against the ground and she made sure her breathing was quiet too, she would not risk them coming this far just to be walker dinner.

"Okay," she used one finger to motion him over, the car was completely empty. She opened the driver side and gagged at the sight of blood, guts, brain matter, everything that would make a normal persons stomach churn, splattered across the seat. Someone had been here, someone had killed the walker, or person, that had been in here, but where was the body? Taylor dropped to her knees and checked under the car, making Carl give her a questioning look. He shrugged it off and went over to the passenger side, opening the door and situating himself with no qualms about the bloody driver seat.

"Gross," Taylor peeled the camo seat cover off and threw it onto the ground unceremoniously. Once she was actually in the seat she felt her heart sink all the way to her stomach. The keys weren't there.

"What's wrong?" Carl leaned over and looked at the gas gauge with a thrilled grin. "The tank is half full."

"Yeah, but the keys are missing." She crossed her arms and let an exasperated huff escape, causing the loose hairs on her forehead splay away. Carl snickered and pointed up towards the ceiling, she followed his gaze and smacked herself in the forehead. There they were, hanging halfway out of the sun visor. She grabbed them and shot him a pretend dirty look.

"Shut up," they both laughed together as she revved the engine.

"This sucker purrs like a kitten!" Carl smiled wide then noticed the look she was giving him.

"Where'd you hear that?" A small frown appeared on her lips like she already knew the answer.

"Daryl says it all time," he whispered, he had only talked so low due to his confusion with her sudden depressed vibe. One minute the were both laughing and smiling, the next she looked like she was near tears. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about shortman," she feigned a smile and they began their long drive to wherever the pre-destined route was going to take them.

Taylor fought to keep herself awake the entire nights drive, not wanting to stop and risk being sitting ducks to the mindless mosters- in the dark nevertheless.

The sun had just peaked up over the hills again and began to kiss the air with a golden glow when Carl suddenly startled himself awake. Taylor glanced over at him with concern thinking he may have had another nightmare. During their little adventure he'd encountered a lot of nights full of fitful sleep with constant nightmares.

"You awake?" She asked him as he rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he yawned and his eyes suddenly popped open. "STOP!"

Taylor screeched to a halt at his words, the cars brakes squealing dramatically as they tried with the best of their ability to stop on such short notice. The beaten down car stopped inches from a lone body standing in the middle of the road, if Carl wouldn't have screamed out they surely would have hit it. They both jumped out of the car when they noticed that it was not a walker, no, it was a living person- a _toddler._

"Hey..." Taylor crept up slowly not wanting to startle him anymore than he already was, she couldn't imagine how terrified he must have been after nearly being mowed down by a car. The small child stood rooted to the spot, too scared to speak or even move.

Taylor nudged Carl forward figuring that he might be more open with another kid there. He nodded his head and beside her took small, delicate steps towards the frightened little blonde child.

She smiled and tried again, "I'm Taylor... and this is Carl. Are you okay?"

He stuck his thumb in his mouth and kept his eyes locked on the ground, his little head nodded up and down. He didn't appear to be bitten or injured in any physical way- though she would have to conclude that being out in this world by himself would cause many mental scars. She momentarily wondered how he even _survived _by himself, and how long he'd been out here.

"I'm Jackson," he finally mumbled through the thumb, it broke her from her reverie and she smiled warmly at him, sticking her hand out. He had been gripping a teddy bear tightly to his side and looked between it and her hand. He used his toddler-logic and popped his thumb out of his mouth, sticking the bear in that hand and taking hers with the opposite.

"Did you want to come with us Jackson?" Carl asked quietly, still afraid of scaring him away.

"Mhmm," his muffled response was the cause of the bears ear in his mouth which took over the absence of the thumb.

"Great, come on," she tried to tug him along with her hand but he still stood in his spot. "Okay, I have an idea," she gingerly picked him up and held him at her hip, the whole picture made a tear come to her eye. He seemed so much like her little nephew that she used to take care of. His blonde hair and blue eyes, exactly like hers and her nephews, made a lump grow in her throat. The goosebumps that invaded her body were just another sign that she felt an odd connection with him, just like she told Daryl at the CDC,_ how all of us somehow survived. Like we were all picked, destiny ya know?_

Maybe it was her destiny (Carl's too?) to be left behind and find this child, he would surely have died out here by himself for a few more hours. Were they meant to find and _save _him?

"Pay it forward," she whispered as she buckled the child in. As per usual another flashback of the dirty attic, the gun, and Daryl saving her life popped back into her head. He saved her, now she would save this child, paying it forward.

"Fank you," Jackson finally spoke with louder confidence, not whispering or mumbling anymore. She ruffled his bright blonde locks, exactly the way she did with Carl, and winked at him.

"You're welcome buddy."

"Nooo," he giggled and shook his head with an amused smile on his face, "I'm _Jackson, _not Buddy!"

"I'm sorry, that's right. You _are _Jackson!" Carl joined in the laughter too, finding humor in the fact that he was too little to understand nicknames.

Taylor was tempted to ask him about his parents, why he was out here, or even how he survived, but she knew these questions would just push him back into a shell.

* * *

At a small gas station they were able to grab some snacks and even find another car with more gas in it. Taylor thought about trying to siphon it and add it to their own supply since she _knew _how to do it from the numerous times Glenn had shown her, but it was a messy and disgusting process so they just opted for another car.

As her and Carl were coming back to the car she noticed Jackson was getting antsy and looked a little more than worried. They didn't have much choice when they went inside, she needed back up to go in and Carl had gotten pretty good with his gun. They didn't want to leave him in the car but taking him inside could have been potentially more dangerous. They approached cautiously and Carl held up a hand full of food to show Jackson the treasures he'd plundered. Carl threw it on the seat beside the toddler who screamed with delight at the sight.

"You good?" Taylor peeked inside the car where a content Jackson was eating a lollipop that Carl had specifically picked out for him.

"Yupp," he grabbed his teddy bear and started to feed it some of his lollipop, Carl and Taylor exchanged a wry look and laughed together at his adorable innocence. The thought quickly flashed before her eyes that his innocence and playfulness would soon be ripped away from him, he would have to grow up way before his time and never really have a childhood. It wouldn't always be as easy as it had been for the past few days.

"Taylor!" She was ripped from her stupor when Carl shouted and a bullet grazed her arm.

"Shit!" She quickly grasped onto the wounded spot and swung around to see a dead walker just a few feet behind her. Carl had shot it right through the eye, he was definitely proving himself to be a good shot and very helpful. "Thanks..."

"Sorry," he winced as she removed her hand and blood began to trickle down.

"It's okay," she took a heavy breath trying to ignore the pain, she may have not been shot _through _any body part but even this hurt like hell. "Thanks for the save," she sighed and they collected themselves before clamoring into the car. As she reached up to adjust the rear view mirror in the new car, a burning pain shot through her arm. "Fuck!"

"Umm," Carl gave her a deadpan look, "you don't have to put any money in the swear jar."

"Thanks," she chuckled and tried her hardest to not make any more sounds pertaining to the injury, she didn't like swearing in front of either child and didn't want them to worry about her being hurt. "Open the map," she requested quietly, still focusing on anything but the pain.

"Hold on," Carl climbed halfway over the middle console of the car and retrieved the map out of the bag before coming back up to the front. He twisted around and spread the map out on his lap. They examined it together until Taylor gasped in surprise. Carl had thought he hit her wound and quickly jumped in surprise. "What?!"

"I can't believe I didn't notice this earlier," she cautiously took the map from him and spread it equally between them now, panning quickly over a particular area. She used her finger to trace a path from where they were, or where she thought they were anyway, to a small road that was led off of the main highway. To Carl it looked to be farmland.

"Notice what? What is it?" He looked harder, squinting his eyes to try and catch on to what she was suddenly so excited about. Jackson had shuffled the candy and other various treats out of the way to shove himself in between them.

"Is Disney World on dat fing?" His honest and confused question made her smile a little wider.

"Nah, Mickey Mouse lives in Florida, we're in Georgia." His sad little pout made a ping of guilt hit her right in the heart. "Sorry Jack." He nodded and went back to his lollipop and bear friend. "This farm-house," she jabbed the spot she was examining before and turned her attention back to Carl, "my uncle lives here. I can't believe I didn't put two and two together before... I mean I haven't been here in years but still..." she trailed off while Carl titled his head to the side in confusion.

"You think he's still there?" He knitted his eyebrows together and decided to reword the question. "You think he'll let us stay?"

"If he's there yes, his daughter was like my sister. I used to spend the entire summer there, _every summer_, until I was eighteen. He's like a second dad to me," she mused, forgetting that she was rambling on.

"Okay, but what about my mom and Shane? Dad? The group?" He didn't want to shoot down her plans, since really she was the one in charge, but he also didn't want her to forget about them.

"We'll keep looking for them, I just want to make a pit stop there. If he's still there then we can bum some supplies from him, regroup there for a few days to get our energy back up, then we'll be able to get back on the highway and head towards Fort Benning."

"Alright," he nodded his head, content with her explanation. He would kill for an actual bed to sleep in for a few nights anyway, and some _real food. _They had stayed either in the car or in abandoned houses the whole trip and food was scarce, and the beds were lumpy and uncomfortable. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea.

* * *

"Here we are," she drove the old rust bucket down the long dirt path, puttering along as it slowly died. She knew the car wouldn't last long but was thankful that it had at least gotten them to the farm. She smiled when she saw people out on the porch. Real people, no walkers. She cut the engine and watched as the three porch occupants shot up and held their guns tightly in their hands.

"Daddy, put it down! There's kids in there!" Maggie shouted at her father as he slowly let the shotgun fall to his side. He would admit he was being a little defensive, but he didn't know who he could trust anymore. "Is that..." Maggie jumped off the porch excitedly and ran over to Taylor as she exited the car.

"Come on Jackson, don't be scared..." Suddenly she was tackled from behind, the girl had jumped onto her back and clung there like a child expecting a piggy back ride.

"TAYLOR MARIE!" She screamed, unable to keep her giddiness from bubbling up.

"Maggie!" She whipped around, making Maggie slid off her back from the gravity and embraced her cousin in a hug. "I've missed you guys!" She held her back by the shoulders and looked her up and down. "I can't believe you guys are alive!"

"Same to you!" She looked over as Carl tentatively exited the car and stood by idly, not knowing what to do with himself. She glanced down at Jackson who had finally left the car and instantly glued himself to Taylor's leg. "I know it's been a few years... but did you have kids?" She whispered the last word as to not inform them that they were now the subject of their discussion.

"No," she sighed and patted the toddlers hair. "This is Jackson... we found him on our way here." Maggie's eyes cast down to him and filled with sadness, he was so small, and apparently all alone. "And that's Carl," she pointed over to him and he began to take small steps towards them. "He's the son of someone in our group."

"Your group?" She asked, very perplexed, and it was showing on her face. As far as she could tell it was just the three of them.

"Yeah, I have a hell of a lot to catch you up on-"

"I'm thirsty..." Carl quietly interrupted, not wanting to, but felt like his throat was as dry as a desert.

"Yeah sure hon," Maggie smiled back at him and nodded towards Taylor. "I'll take him in to get a drink, you get your stuff unpacked and I'll tell daddy, okay?" She took Carl gently by one shoulder and lead him into the house where Hershel, and the guy that Taylor didn't recognize all trailed in behind her.

Taylor tried walking but had a difficult time with little Jack clinging to her like a baby koala. She laughed and knelt down to get on his level.

"We might be staying here for awhile Jackson," she looked into his eyes and melted just as Maggie had, he truly had the saddest eyes she'd ever seen. "Is that okay?"

"I guess," he shrugged his shoulders and clutched his bear to himself again. "Can you carries me Tawor? I dun feel so good."

"Of course Jack," she picked him up and held him at her hip, it was the way she always carried him and it made him feel secure, so he never once complained. He actually enjoyed it and was happy every time that she was willing to do it. It made him feel like he had somebody, his mommy and daddy were gone, but he had Taylor and Carl.

"I know Carl really wants to find the others, and I know you would love them all," she began to talk to him, really talking out loud to herself just so it wasn't trapped in her head. "But I don't think we'll be able to find them. I don't want to tell him, I don't even want to admit it, but day by day I just know they're getting further away from us."

He nodded his head and pretended like he knew what she was talking about, though he really just wanted some more food. She popped the trunk open and flung the bag over her free shoulder with a grunt.

"I miss them, a lot-" she felt hot tears burning at her eyes and soon they were free-falling.

"I'm sowwy. Dun be sad..."

Just as the words came out a muffled, yet also distinct at the same time, sound came from further down the dirt path. Taylor didn't think anyone else was staying at the farm so there should be no reason to hear a vehicle.

"MOTORCYCLE!" He called out excitedly, squirming in her arms as happiness tore through the small child.

"What? Motorcycle?" She turned around and placed him on the ground gently and slammed the trunk shut. She spun back around as the sound seemed to magnify tenfold, she started to believe the four year olds assessment was correct. She followed the small child's gaze and held her hand up over her eyes to shield it from the blinding sun that was skewing her vision.

The shiny black motorcycle peeled up the dirt road and shifted specks of dust, gravel, and rock into the air. Its rider kicked the kickstand into its proper place and swung his leg off the right side, hopping off quickly after. The scowl on his face turned to disbelief then morphed into a bright grin when he realized that not only were there other survivors here, it was _her. _He couldn't tell if he was suffering from dehydration and hallucinating, seeing a ghost, or what, but he didn't give a damn at that moment. The dust began to settle as he walked towards them.

"How...?" It was Taylor's turn to be second guessing herself of being crazy. She felt her eyes roll into the back of her head, the world going dark within seconds. He jumped forward grabbing her before she hit the floor. He lost his footing and fell to the ground with Taylor haphazardly in his lap. He simply smirked and shook his head at her over-the-top reaction.

"HEY MISTER!" Jackson looked on sternly, placing his hands on his hips, the teddy bear dangling at his side. "You broked Taylor!"

"Sorry champ," he shrugged sympathetically, wondering in the back of his mind where this kid came from and when he became acquainted with her. "She ain't broken, she'll be fine."

While he conferred with Jackson, Taylor's eyes began to flutter back to life. She squinted and blinked roughly a few times to get the images before her not blurry. Once he knew she was back within the land of the conscious he chuckled.

"Glad to see you too, Blondie."


	16. Pain

**Author's Note: Thank you SpriteCokeFanta and Angel for the reviews! Like I always say, they really do make me smile, and I honestly appreciate them! I know I say this a lot but it really does help push me forward with updates when I see that people are interested in the story. So thanks!(:**  
**Thank you to those who are new subscribers or favorites, there were _a lot_ after the last chapter and I was so thrilled, thanks to you as well. :D**  
**For those that like the other characters, there's a little of Maggie and Carol in this chapter! (And there will be plenty of Maggie in the future for those of you that like her, since she's Taylor's cousin and will be her main confidant. Glenn too :P)**  
**Without further ado, here is chapter sixteen. Sorry it took so long to put up :l**

* * *

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN.  
****PAIN.**

Taylor opened her eyes slightly, the sun beam that stretched across the room burned them slightly. After a few painful attempts they fluttered open and searched around rapidly. She was disoriented and confused. _How did this pillow get under my head? When did I get into a bed? _She rubbed her eyes gently a few times before sitting up and surveying the scene in front of her. She knew this room, she'd been in it so many summers ago. It was the guest room of the farmhouse.

"Hey," Maggie walked in and quietly shut the door behind her, smiling softly at her cousin. "You're up?"

"Didn't realize I went to sleep," she began to regain her senses and heard shuffling both in the house and outside. There were more car noises, lots of moving around, lots of loud familiar voices. She slowly gathered that others must have made it.

"You passed out earlier," Maggie broke her out of her intense concentration. "You came back for a few seconds and were out again. I figured its cause you haven't had any water in a while, that's what Carl said anyway." She stated simply, sitting on the edge of the bed like a concerned parent. "You missed a lot," she whispered quietly.

"Apparently," she pondered why Maggie had been so quiet the whole time until her glance to the right side of the room made it obvious. "Oh..." she titled her head to the side a little perplexed by the picture. Tucked away in the corner of the room sat Daryl, sleeping in the rocking chair. He had Jackson in his lap, also contentedly sleeping, and Bailey at their feet zonked as well.

"They've been there since you were brought up-"

"How long ago?" Taylor hadn't meant to cut her off but her curiosity was getting the better of her. If the whole group was here, the evidence of outside clamoring and Bailey's presence, then why wasn't Rick up here waiting for her to wake up?

"A few hours," Maggie answered plainly, a small smile breaking onto her lips. "Is he-"

"Hey," a familiar voice stopped Maggie short of her question, though Taylor had a faint inkling of what she was going to ask regardless of the interruption. "You're up?" he smiled and bent down to give her a delicate peck on the lips.

"Yeah..." She smiled up at him then nodded to Carl who was peeking from behind his fathers leg, he nodded back with a happy grin. Maggie's eyebrows furrowed at the kiss, a questioning look spread across her face.

"Gave us a scare," he said while rubbing the back of his neck. He looked nervous and Taylor couldn't place why. She thought he'd be more excited to see her after two weeks, she also thought the feeling would be mutual. Nothing seemed to be the way it should at the moment. She watched his hand go to his forearm, the nervous rubbing continuing there. He appeared guilty, she couldn't place why she thought that, but she felt it bursting off of him in spurts.

"Sorry, dehydration," she shrugged her shoulders and looked up at him expectantly, waiting for an explanation of his odd behavior.

"Glad to see you're doing better, we've all set up camp outside," he motioned to the window and smiled half-heartedly, "when you feel up to you could come out and look around?"

"Sure," she returned the wane smile and waited for him to exit before turning over to Maggie, she could feel her eyes boring into her skin.

"Uh..." Maggie glanced over at the three huddled in the corner. "I thought that... um, he, was..."

"No," Taylor quickly shut the idea down, she didn't like hearing it, the words would just break her heart more. Ever since their secret kiss even looking at him hurt. She could tell herself, Rick, Daryl, _Shane _even, that she didn't care anymore but she couldn't fool her cousin.

"So you and the cop then?" Her scrutinizing glare made the blonde shift uncomfortably. She could tell Maggie wasn't buying it.

"I think so," she answered honestly. At the CDC they had made it official, at least she thought they did, but his sudden weird behavior after their time apart made it questionable. It was as if two weeks had gone by and he accepted the she was gone; or perhaps he had just decided he was glad there was no attachments anymore and then she was suddenly back in his life? She couldn't be sure what the issue was and promptly decided that she would talk to him later.

"You think?" Maggie scoffed and shook her head before standing up from the bed. She nodded over to the man asleep in the chair, the one that hadn't left her side. "I think you made the wrong choice, Tay." With that the brunette left her alone, well semi-alone. Jackson began to stir on Daryl's lap and his eyes popped open quickly. He noticed Taylor and jumped off his lap in three seconds flat, climbing up onto the bed with her.

"Tawor!" He sat beside her, giving her a tight side hug before sitting Indian style with the faithful teddy bear in his lap. Daryl soon awoke as well, hearing all the commotion that the small child had caused. He stretched and rubbed the back of his neck which was sore from both the chair and the position he had fallen asleep in.

"Hey," he yawned and his half-lidded gaze met hers.

"Hey," she parroted him and gave a small half-smile. It was met with a lopsided grin that made her heart melt, she pushed it into the back of her mind, _you cannot do this shit again._

"You're finally up?"

Bailey heard his shuffling and scampered up to his feet, excitedly jumping up on the bed once he noticed his previous owner. They say animals never forget and it seemed like Bailey remembered her perfectly well. She gave him a few pats on the head until he sat down- practically on top of Jackson.

"You're the millionth person to ask that," she giggled and shifted Jackson until he was sitting on her lap to avoid the dogs weight. He smiled up at her and then back over at Daryl.

"I named my bear," he said quietly, craning his little neck to look at her. She saw the wide grin on his face and smiled back, it was good to see he was okay without her.

"Did you?" She decided to indulge him and play along.

"Yupp. I named 'em Darrol," he took a gulp of spit that he forgot to swallow in his excitement, "cause Darrol is weally cool. I sat on his motorcycle! And den we came up here and waited for you to wake up-"

"That's great," she quickly stopped his rambling not wanting to hear anymore good things about him. As if it wasn't enough that he _sat there _and waited the whole time for her to get up, he was also apparently great with Jackson. _Awesome, just another reason I'll have to be around him. _Taylor knew if Jackson liked him that she wasn't going to force him to stay away, she would just deal with the pain that came along with it. For that little boy she would do anything, she did know that for certain.

"Can we go dahnstairs? I wanna show you camp!" He bounced excitedly on her lap as he waited for an answer. When she hesitated he ceased his jumping and sat still.

"Yes of course, but can you do me a favor?" He nodded his head slowly as he waited patiently for her request. "Can you go down with Bailey first and wait on the porch? I'll be down in a few minutes," she patted his head softly and he squealed in delight that he was going to be her tour guide.

"Okay!" He got off the bed and coaxed the dog off with him, calling for the pup to follow after him, which Bailey did so obediently. When it was just the two of them she slid out of the covers and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Thanks," she finally managed to squeak out, her heart thumping in her chest made it hard to speak. All of the blood seemed to rush to her ears and suddenly hearing became difficult too.

"It was nothin'," he shrugged nonchalantly and lifted himself from the chair with ease, starting towards the door. She examined his features which appeared to be something she couldn't place... remorse? Guilt, even? Did he know why Rick was acting weird, or did he perhaps have something to do with it? She couldn't quite pin down the expression but decided it was not guilt after all, he seemed sad... sad for _her. _None of it made sense or really registered so she shook her head lightly to phase the thoughts out.

She stood up and wobbled for a second, trying to find her feet again. Her legs felt like jelly and this time it wasn't from his painfully close presence- or his hands on her shoulders. _When did they get there anyway?_

"Do ya need help?" He asked quietly from behind her.

"No," she yanked herself away from him and huffed in defeat, ignoring the carnal urges he gave her was not going as planned. "I'm fine, I just need a second."

"Sorry," he stepped back, not wanting to be scolded again. She turned around to see the hurt look on his face, which really never happened.

"Ugh, stop. Don't apologize..." she didn't know why she snapped at him in the first place but when his eyes flickered the same way that they did right before he kissed her she felt the anger bubble back up again. All of his rejection and all of his confusing kissing at the CDC mixed together in her brain until it was mush, it only fueled the unreasonable fury that was building inside her. Why did he have to push her away one minute, and then be caring the next?

"I was just trynna help-"

"I don't want your help! I told you we were going to stay away from each other! I told you that I was going to be with Rick and that you and I weren't even going to be _friends_!" He let her pour all of her anger, confusion, and sadness out. He let her direct it all at him without even batting an eye, just took it in stride. He even cracked a small grin; this action of course ignited the fuse that was attached to her time bomb of emotions.

"What's so funny?" She scowled at him to the best of her ability.

"Nothin'," he shrugged but didn't wipe the smirk off his face. He couldn't, no matter how hard he tried.

"Tell me!" She demanded, unsure of why she kept raising her voice. She internally berated herself for flying off the handle but continued to look incredibly exasperated despite it.

"I can't... you'll be even more pissed," he responded honestly. He knew what he was thinking would just push her off the edge more, though at the moment he was pretty sure she had already jumped off that edge.

"Just tell me," she said through gritted teeth. His smile in her time of complete outrage made her need-to-know grow tenfold.

"Fine," he laughed for a second before composing himself, he knew what he was about to say was not going to end well, but she was the one pushing it. "It's hard to take ya seriously when ya get mad... cause it's kinda cute."

"Really?" She threw her hands up in the melodramatic way that he was accustomed to. The more she looked at him the more that she didn't want to be angry anymore, but she couldn't let it go. He had _hurt_ her and she wasn't going to get trapped back into his twisted web. Her mind raced as she tried to think of something, _anything _to pick at him for. She had to have the last word, but unfortunately there was nothing she could really say. She looked him up and down quickly and ignored the quell in her lower belly, she would not let his smile change her mind.

"Well..." she glanced at his bare arms, his naked biceps that always made her mouth go dry. "Don't you own any long sleeve shirts?!"

"What?"

She realized her insult was not as insulting as it was meant to be, she shouldn't have looked there, she shouldn't have looked at him _at all_. If fact, he shouldn't have put her in the situation by sitting by her bedside and caring, in her opinion anyway.

"Just..." she flicked her hand at him and stormed out of the room, she had to get out of there, the tension was too much. She couldn't be alone in a room with him, it was suffocating. As she trotted down the stairs she decided that sending Jackson out was a bad idea. She just didn't want him there when she thanked Daryl, in case things went south; exactly as they had.

"Jackson?" She let the screen door slam behind her directly in Daryl's face who she hadn't noticed chasing after her. He rose and eyebrow at her, she rebutted by hastily turning away from him. She already felt like a jackass, looking at what she could have sworn was a crushed look in his eyes, only made it worse.

"Here!" He sprang up from his seat and raced over to them, grabbing both of their hands. "Me and Darrol will show you da camp..." Taylor frowned and knelt down to his eye level.

"I think Daryl has something that he needs to do, so maybe just you can show me?" She offered, not wanting to hurt his feelings, but also not ready to deal with Jackson's new best friend just yet.

"She's right champ," he forced a smile and began to prod down the steps lightly. "I'll see ya in a little."

"Okay," Jackson nodded solemnly, he had obviously been planning the whole thing out in his head while they were upstairs. This didn't seem to be the game plan he had come up with. He squeezed Taylor's hand comfortingly as he watched him walk away. Her heart broke in a million pieces at the wounded look he had on. She prayed that he would not attach himself any further to Daryl, God knew she was still trying to heal from her own attachment to him.

"Come on Jack, show me around," she tugged encouragingly at his hand and he seemed to perk back up, leading her out to their new campsite.

* * *

"You shouldn't be putting up with all this shit," a voice erupted from behind him, startling him slightly. He dropped the logs near his tent and spun around to meet her disapproving gaze.

"All a' what shit?" He asked, humoring her even though he really didn't want to talk.

"With her," she jerked her thumb over her shoulder at the blonde who was being led around by the tiny blonde.

"Carol," he sighed and ran a hand over his face in exasperation. He just wasn't in the mood to talk about Taylor, not after the way she blew up on him. "What are ya talkin' about?"

"Come on," she plopped herself down on his fold up chair that he had strategically placed directly in front of his personal fire pit. He had set up his mini-camp a decent length from the main camp. He liked privacy and wasn't keen on everyone in the group anyway. Truthfully, he didn't want to be around Rick, not after what he had witnessed a few days prior to them arriving here. "You don't need bullshit like that, and I know you're not the type to deal with it..." she fiddled with one of her earrings as she praddled on. "I guess what I wanna know is why you're doing it."

"I ain't doin' anythin'." He said defensively, stacking the wood in a pile in front of the fire pit, throwing each one down with a loud _thud_.

"You're chasing her, it's pretty damn obvious," she said accusingly. Daryl had always found it funny that when Carol's daughter wasn't around, her mouth was just as bad as his. He scoffed and glared over at her.

"I ain't," he heaved a heavy branch out of his mini-camp and threw it into the other pile of future firewood.

"Why won't you open up to me?" Her voice sounded offended and he knew why before she even said it. "Before Cassidy," she rolled her eyes enthusiastically at that, still finding some humor in it, "before Taylor... I was there for you."

"So?"

"So why can't you talk to me anymore?" She huffed indignantly with his obliviousness. "You just act like I fell off the face of the earth!"

"We never really talked... you told me about your shitty husband an' I listened," he frowned when he heard her sigh. It was a sigh of true sadness, not aggravation.

"Okay, we still kind of bonded... then that little blonde piece of tail came into the picture-"

"Don't talk about her like that," Daryl interrupted, the defensiveness taking her back a little. She didn't think that he genuinely cared about her, she kind of figured he just wanted to 'hit that' as the younger ones now referred to it.

"You really like her?" Carol asked, a little stunned by the revelation. She didn't even need his answer, she already knew. She couldn't help feeling slightly jealous. He shrugged his shoulders at her question, he never liked announcing his feelings, usually because he was too busy denying them. She gasped once her revelation came into full fruition.

"Oh my god... you _love _her?" Carol's voice now seemed to have a little edge to it, an accusing tone if Daryl were to place a particular word to it. He didn't like the way it came out in a sneer, rather than a statement, and he didn't like that she was branding his feelings for another person.

"I never said that," he said after a long pause that pretty much gave Carol all she needed to form the accusation into a true fact.

"You're wasting your time! Why are you bothering with someone so indecisive and naive?" Daryl bit back some of the choice words he had at that moment. _Oh, like you're any better? Stickin' around with a wife beater._ He was already involved in an argument once that day and was too exhausted to do it again so he kept his thoughts locked up. "She's too young for you, you know? Do you even know how old she is?"

"Yeah, twenty-four," he let out a sigh, this one was of annoyance. This was why he had chosen to separate himself from the group, he didn't like his privacy being invaded on and he certainly wasn't keen on gossiping. "I'm only thirty-two," he added quickly.

"Huh," she let out a low whistle, "between you and Rick... she has daddy issues."

"Enough!" Daryl whipped around, the first time he had fully faced her through their entire conversation. "I know you an' I used to talk an' be _friends_," he used the word loosely, just what he assumed she considered them, "but I ain't gonna gossip with ya, or confide in ya. Especially if you're just gonna accuse me an' other people of shit." After his outburst he sat down on one of the rocks, dropping his head into his hands. He felt like horrible. Carol sat in the seat still, her hands in her lap, too shocked to move. He never went off on her like that, he usually didn't go off on anyone like that.

"Sorry..." he sighed and lifted his head, she had relaxed some, her face didn't look frozen in fear anymore. "I just got a lot on my mind. I don't like talkin' to people about that kinda bullshit."

"I know, I shouldn't have pressed you, I'm sorry too." They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments. "I was just kinda jealous I guess."

"Why?"

"Daryl," she giggled at his ignorance, "I know you don't see it but a lot of girls here think you're uh... well," she racked her brain to think of a way to put it to him where he wouldn't be embarrassed and clam up. She couldn't think of any so she just blurted it out and hoped for the best, "they think you're attractive."

"Bullshit," he snorted at her confession.

"You're not used to being pined after, are you?" She took a steadying breath, "that's why you pushed her away."

"It's happened before," he furrowed his eyebrows thinking back to college when girls tended to throw themselves at guys in general, but he got a pretty good share of it. He always felt used though, he wasn't the typical guy, he didn't just want to have one night stands and be done. He had always wanted a steady relationship, and every time he was in one, they never failed to hurt him. Girls were mean, nasty, sneaky, worse than boys in his opinion. Every single one had either cheated on him, lied to him, or left him for a better looking guy. Women had truly broken him.

"Girls like Taylor..." he struggled with what to say, he _hated _showing emotion, it made him feel small, stupid. Carol seemed to truly care, like she really wanted to help, so he decided to suck it up and confess. "They kinda ruined me."

"The pretty ones usually do that," Carol chuckled thinking of all the horrible 'popular' girls she went to high school with. Just because they were beautiful they had a ridiculous self-entitlement attached to them. They also tended to consider everyone else below themselves. She subconsciously agreed with his thoughts, pretty girls could be fucking brutal.

"I knew from the beginnin' she wanted more. But when I knew she was gettin' too attached I bailed," he sighed and wiped around his mouth, more of a subconscious thinking action than anything.

"Cause you were scared?" Carol's soft voice reassured him enough to continue, he wanted to stop a long time ago. He wanted to stop sharing these girly fucking feelings, but he couldn't; for some reason she helped him press on, to finally get it off his chest so it wasn't as much of a burden anymore.

"That, an' I didn't wanna hurt her. Not after the shit her fiance pulled." He screwed his eyes shut thinking further into the reasons why. "Plus, I know I can be a crude sonofabitch... she's one of 'em girls that needs a romantic kinda guy-"

"Did she tell you that, or did you assume?" Her question was sincere, not accusatory as they had been at the beginning. He felt like she would have made a wonderful therapist, and wondered if she was more than a housewife before the zombie outbreak.

"I told her an' she said she didn't need all that," he inhaled deeply, starting to realize that maybe she was telling the truth, not compromising like he had accused her of. That was all too late now, he had pushed her too far, right into Rick's arms. His teeth and fists clenched at the thought, his mind replaying the scene of Rick and-

"Is there something else?" She asked, noticing his hands and breaking him from the replay in his mind.

"If I tell ya somethin', ya can't tell anyone..." her small nod let him know to continue on, "I was afraid of hurtin' her, but I let her go to someone whose _gonna_ hurt her."

"What are you talking about?" Carol was puzzled by his statement, as far as she knew Taylor was with Rick, what did he mean he was going to hurt her? She folded her hands neatly in her lap, awaiting an explanation. He suddenly seemed to clam up. "I-"

"Wait a sec," he stood up in the middle of her sentence when he saw something that made his blood run cold. He shook his head in disbelief and looked down at Carol sympathetically. "I'll be back in a minute." She nodded slowly in agreement, wondering what his sudden change in emotion was about.

"Hey," Daryl approached Rick hastily, his voice coming out in a growl. He looked between Cassidy and the sheriff.

"What's up Daryl?" Cassidy asked with mock innocence.

"Shut it," he sneered at her, honestly both surprised and disgusted that she was talking to him. She knew what was up. "Ya'll are all chummy again?"

"What?" Rick's eyes narrowed towards him, not wanting their voices to be heard when Taylor was so close. Once her and Jackson had gone back inside Rick stepped closer to him. "I thought you said you weren't going to say anything?"

"I ain't," he stepped forward as well, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He could not believe what he was seeing and he wasn't going to just let it slide. "But ya'll aren't just gonna go around actin' like nothin' happened."

"What would you like us to do?" Rick was calm and cool, like usual. Daryl was about to lay someone out, like usual.

"To stay away from each other... ya really got the balls to do this in front of her?" His voice was low now, trying to not yell.

"We weren't doing anything, we were talking," Cassidy piped in, in their defense.

"Unbelievable," his scoff made Rick's steady face flatten into a hard-line. He was not so calm and cool anymore.

"It's none of your damn business, Daryl." He seemed to notice the anger building in his counterpart and became a bit irritated as well.

"It's Taylors' business an' ya haven't told her, have ya?"

"If you're going to put yourself in the middle of this, you're going to regret it." Rick was beginning to lose his cool and Daryl immediately picked up on it. Not only was he good at observing animals behavior, he was good at reading other humans as well. He knew he was slowly getting under Rick's skin. He was going to make him confess to Taylor whether he liked it or not. He wasn't going to keep their little secret any longer.

"I am... stop actin' like you didn't screw her three days ago," he motioned over to Cassidy who gasped in mock horror, resting her hand on her chest.

"Keep your voice down!" Rick bellowed, not wanting Taylor to hear from inside. "I'll tell her when I damn well please."

"You're disgustin'," he spat as his own rage began to match Rick's.

"I thought she was _dead_." His voice was flat now, but the statement fell on deaf ears. As far as Daryl was concerned, if he really cared about her he wouldn't have bedded another woman just a week after he thought she died. It was bullshit in his eyes; an excuse, it was going to happen regardless of her disappearance.

"So ya buried your sorrow in her pussy?"

"Fuck you!" Rick's fist connected with Daryl's face in a sickening, knuckle cracking _thwap! _He grabbed his face where the shooting pain began to course through him. Directly above his right eye was split, blood slowly pouring out. Rick went for a second swing when Daryl ducked out of the way, his hand connecting with the tree behind him. His hand cracked in too many places to count and limply fell in response. The two men stood face to face, one broken handed, the other with a cut eye.

The group was slowly starting to pull apart. It looked as if things were about to get a whole lot worse.


	17. It Ends Tonight

**Author's Note: As always I want to start off by going over some things. Rick is *not* going to be the bad guy, like, ever. He's one of my favorites and I couldn't even really see him as a realistic villain. So no worries, he's just a guy and thought with one head and not the other ;) Bazingaaaa.  
Thanks so so much to those who reviewed: erika001, taylyons, mrskaz453, and bigtimerushlover101. You guys are awesome sauce.(:  
Thanks to any new subscribers and favorites, and to everyone who has been following thus far!  
Enjoy lovies!**

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.  
IT ENDS TONIGHT.**

Hershel had just came out on the porch with his first aid kit when Taylor came bursting past him. She surveyed both of the damages that were already done and glanced over at her uncle who had just popped the kit open. After looking between the two for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a few minor seconds, she had decided who she was going to help. She immediately grabbed a set of butterfly stitches, gauze, and a few alcohol cleansing pads.

Taylor slowly came down the steps not wanting to startle either of them, they seemed too entranced to notice anyone, but he had seen her. Once he saw her approaching he stepped back and decided it was not worth it, she was there, the kids had gathered on the porch, he wasn't going to fight in front of all of them. He wasn't going to _waste his energy _on Rick.

"Stay with Maggie, Jack." Taylor called over her shoulder, the child nodded obediently and grabbed onto her leg quickly. The yelling and blood had scared him, his face white as a ghost and his little lips trembling. Maggie soothed his hair down and led him back inside to avoid whatever could possibly be coming.

"Stay out of this," Rick growled to Daryl as he began to back away.

He continued to take, slow, deliberate steps backwards knowing she was coming for him. He didn't want her _anywhere _near him at that moment, he might just slip and tell her what their fight was about, and frankly he didn't want to be the one to drop that bombshell. He _wouldn't _be.

Taylor watched Cassidy fuss over Rick's hand and gave a sideways glance, confused by the scene. _Since when did she care about him? _She brushed the thought away as Hershel swept by her to look at his mangled hand. Daryl took the momentary distraction and stalked off towards the woods. Soon enough he was past his own camp and just along the line of the thickly forested woods. He picked up his pace when he heard footsteps falling closely behind him. So close that they might as well have been walking in tandem.

"Go back to the camp," he grumbled loudly enough that he knew she would hear. She ignored his words and advanced forward, closely on his trail. Once he knew she was mere steps behind him he turned around on his heels and dead locked his eyes with her. "Leave me be."

"No," she protested, but held up the medicinal items as an offer. "I'll let you be if you let me fix it." She nodded towards his eyebrow where it had been split. He wiped some of the blood where it began to pool and grunted in agreement. He knew there was no point of arguing with her, if there was anyone as stubborn as him, it was her.

"Sit down," she directed him over towards a fallen log a few feet ahead of them.

"Fine," he sat down submissively and watched her carefully as she bent down, kneeling directly in front of him. She smiled sympathetically once she saw how bad it really was, his eye was already starting to bruise and the cut was still oozing a steady flow of blood.

"What happened?" She took one of the gauze pads and leaned forward closely to splotch some of the blood away.

"Your boyfriend punched me in the fuckin' face," he was speaking through gritted teeth, his mouth clamping shut after.

"Don't call him that," she grimaced as she ripped open one of the alcohol wipes, she gingerly slid it across the cut and shot back when he flinched. "Sorry," she continued to disinfect it as quickly as possible.

"Call 'em what?" Daryl decided to let his anger lapse and actually have a conversation. He needed something to focus on besides her face being inches from his. She furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to get one of the packets of the Steristrips open.

"My boyfriend," she fumbled with it for a few more seconds before finally achieving her goal. She carefully used two fingers to gently push the two ends of the wound together before maneuvering her other hand to apply one of the strips. Daryl noticed that she seemed to be completely in her element, lining up the butterfly stitches on top of each other with deep concentration. "It sounds stupid."

He hadn't even noticed that she'd answered him at first, he was too busy watching her work with raw admiration. "It's stupid callin' someone a boyfriend, or callin' _him _a boyfriend?"

"Both," she chuckled and cleaned around the area one last time before leaning back on her heels. "You didn't answer my question."

"I told ya, he sucker punched me," he stated in a tone that suggested he thought he had already made himself clear.

"I know that," she used her own 'duh' tone and placed her hands on her thighs, rubbing some of the blood and dirt off. "Why did he hit you?"

"Cause he's an asshole," he mumbled to himself, when he noticed that she looked perplexed, almost bewildered, he continued. "He should tell ya why."

"Why can't you?" Taylor was not interested in playing telephone, she just wanted to know why she came out to what could have been a full-out brawl, if Daryl had not backed down for a reason that was unbeknownst to her.

"I shouldn't hafta." He sighed in defeat, the dejected and somewhat pouty look always made him cave. This was worse though, he _couldn't_ tell her, no- "I don't wanna."

"You sound like Jackson," she smiled brightly and stood up, wiping the rear of her jeans off. He grinned in return, though it quickly faded when she stared down at him with her heavyhearted stare. She was desperate to know, she knew they were both hiding something and it crushed her that he wouldn't confess.

Her eyes always haunted him when they were filled with hurt, ever since the first day they met, they always made his heart lurch.

_"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered attempting to get closer. She scurried backwards until her back was pressed against the wall. Once the gun wasn't at her head all he could focus on were her shocking blue eyes that seemed to bore into him. The look in them was just begging to be saved from everything she had been through, something deep within him made sure he was going to do just that._

"Ya shouldn't be with him," he stood up now, they were less than a foot apart and he felt a tension that he never noticed before, but she _always _had.

"What?" She was taken aback by his sudden, almost forceful, comment.

"He ain't right for you," he ran a hand through his hair, looking down at the ground now, unable to keep her stare. "Ain't it obvious?"

"Isn't what obvious?" For a brief moment he thought she was playing dumb, that she just didn't want to come to terms with the fact that Rick was not what she thought he was... and that maybe he was wrong about not wanting to be together. She stared blankly at him, blinking a few times, feeling like an idiot. _What the hell is he talking about?_

_ "_Ya really don't know?" It was then that he realized that she truly didn't see it, she didn't see that Rick was so wrong for her. She definitely didn't see that he was trying to admit that he was wrong before, without really saying it of course. He wasn't sure he could do that, too much pride was constantly coursing through his veins to openly admit defeat.

"What the hell are you talking about Daryl? What don't I know?" She folded her arms across her chest indignantly, why wouldn't he just tell her already? "I shouldn't be with Rick... why?" She stared hard at him when a revelation dawned on her. "Are you jealous?"

"No! That ain't what I'm trynna to say." He was a little miffed with the smirk that was crossing her lips. His new-found jealousy had nothing to do with his outright hatred of Rick, not to mention he _wasn't _jealous.

"You are..." She let her arms fall away from the defensive position and tucked them into the back pockets of the jeans. "Why don't you want me to be happy?"

_"What?" _He balked at the sheer ignorance of her comment. Was she being serious? He could not wrap his mind around the fact that he was trying to warn her of him, to _prevent_ her from getting hurt, and she thought he didn't want her to be happy. He saw red at that moment, a blinding rage that he'd only experienced a few times in his life- catching Rick and Cassidy being one of them.

"He's fuckin' Cassidy!" His voice bellowed out louder than he had anticipated. He threw his hand up to run it through his hair in complete exhaustion. It was all becoming unbearable.

"What..." Her face fell and tears prickled her eyes in disbelief. "You're lying..."

"God Taylor, he's cheatin' on ya, face it!" He continued to yell despite himself, he was already regretting the decision. He did not want to be the one who had to tell her, it wasn't his responsibility. It wasn't fair that he had to be the bad guy and watch her fall apart. His voice became calmer once he noticed a steady stream of tears begin to flow, "don't tell me that I don't want ya to be happy." He felt his nerves settle, the fury subsiding and sympathy taking its place.

"But... I thought..." he heard her sobbing begin, her hands covering her face to hide the tears that she knew always made him feel awkward. For the first in _years _he did not back down from the emotion. All he wanted to do was console her, he felt it was his fault she was in the state anyway; maybe not directly through his actions, but by becoming manic enough to shove the awful truth in her face in such a hideous way.

"I'm sorry Taylor." He filled the gap between them and pulled her to him, hugging her. He let her pour her lung rattling, gut wrenching sobs out. No sooner had her tears started to stain his shirt, they stopped. She backed away from him; her heart wrenching a little at the lost contact, and looked up into his eyes.

"I'm..." she took a shaky breath to steady her breathing, "I'm fine. I'm gonna go talk to him."

"Don't." He wiped the remaining tears away, brushing his thumb against her jaw line. She wanted nothing more than to lean into his hand and stay there with _him_. She didn't want to leave but she knew he wasn't going to ask her to stay. He didn't want her to make up with Rick, but he didn't want to be with her either. It was a bit frazzling for her to contemplate. "Don't try to fix it."

"What? Why?"

"I dunno," he sighed, wishing that she wasn't so oblivious, that she wasn't sometimes the cliché of her hair color. How could she not see what he didn't want to say aloud? He braced himself to say the inevitable. In the midst of steeling himself to speak Maggie had spotted them through the thick trees. "I think I'm in-"

"Hey! I've been looking for you!" Maggie cheerfully bonded up to the two, her happiness stemming from the thought that the two of them alone would produce something good. Once she saw Taylor's glossy eyes she knew that it had not gone well, she frowned in response.

"Sorry..." Taylor had turned herself fully around to pay attention, but her hands were clasped together behind her back. She looked like a broken child and Maggie knew something was wrong.

"Uh," she pointed over her shoulder back to the camp, "daddy wants to talk to you." She rose a single eyebrow, watching her cousin carefully to gauge her reaction. She simply nodded in response and started to walk off towards the farmhouse.

"What was the fight about?" Maggie had waited until Daryl was following Taylor back to speak up. The two were far enough back that she knew her cousin could no longer hear their conversation.

"Nothin'," Maggie chuckled at his response, of course he wasn't going to tell her, he didn't even know her.

"Taylor seems pretty upset. Did it have anything to do with her?" She asked, knowing already that he was going to brush the question off, but hoping that he would just tell her. She had a feeling that Taylor would tell her eventually, but she would rather know ahead of time.

"Maybe," he grunted still a little irked with her poor timing.

"You're not a man of many words, are you?"Maggie was quickly picking up on his personality, he was a closed book. She knew that was probably one of the reasons Taylor was drawn to him, she was always trying to fix things; people mostly. She also had a faint idea that there was another reason, maybe one she could pull out of her at some point.

"I can tell y'all are related," he began to veer off towards his own little camp. She followed along, stopping off slightly on the skirts of where she thought his 'boundary' might be.

"How's that?" Her curiosity was peaked now, she didn't remember telling him that they were cousins and wasn't sure if Taylor had or not. Then again, he had talked to her father after Taylor's fainting incident.

"With the twenty fuckin' questions." He zipped the tent open and got inside, re-zipping it as a not so polite indicator that he was done. Maggie rolled her eyes and made it back to the house in time to hear the conversation that was in progress in the kitchen.

"That's not fair Uncle Hershel!" Taylor stomped her foot like a small pouting child.

"I'm sorry Taylor. I think maybe my initial invitation for them to stay was with good intentions, but very wrong. They've only been here for a few hours and they're already fighting and causing problems." He sighed and sat down at the far end of the table. "I can't have these kind of shenanigans going on, Beth is here, she's impressionable, she can't see these things and think they're okay."

"That should be the least of your worries for Beth!" Taylor folded her arms across her chest unable to comprehend his request. She was _not _going to tell the group they had to leave.

"What do you mean?"

"It's bad out there Uncle Hershel, you haven't been touched by it here. But I think in time it will happen, and then you'll see why I think that it's better if they stay. For _them_, and for your moral conscience. It's a nightmare out there, every single day is a fight for survival. If you send us away-"

"You? No darling, you and the child could stay of course. It's the rest that I don't think I want here." He had the sincerest tone in his voice, but the message behind it was clear. She could stay and they could not.

"Well I'm not staying if they have to go," she countered bluntly, every word spoken with honesty. She couldn't even let herself imagine turning her back on them. Some more than others, but that was not the issue at the moment.

"Why would you say that?"

"They're my family!" She shouted, louder than she had intended. She hadn't meant for the conversation to go astray in such a manner, but he was talking about a big decision like it was something as simple as what to make for dinner.

"_We're _your family Taylor." Hershel felt like he was arguing with a politician, she was stubborn and not considering all the facts.

"Yes, but blood isn't the only way to call someone your family." She thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain it to him in the simplest terms- to find a way to tell him where it would truly connect with his spirituality. "When everything goes straight to hell, the people who stand by you without a second thought, they are your family."

"Taylor, I have to do what's best-"

"One of them saved my life, literally," she took an unusually long pause that helped Hershel know that she was confessing something that was painful for her to talk about, "from something that Alexander did."

"I always knew that boy was trouble," he pinched the bridge of his nose, avoiding eye contact with his pleading niece.

"The point is, if you make them go, then I'm going too."

"You're putting me in a very tough position here Taylor," he sat silently for a few minutes, mentally weighing the pro's and con's and no doubt wrestling with the morals involved in the decision. "Okay," it came out in a defeated breath of air. She could tell he was not happy about it, but that didn't stop the grin that immediately cracked her face in half. "They have a week to change my mind. No more funny business, and they have to earn their keep."

"Fair enough, I'll let them all know." She got up from the chair and pushed it back into its place properly before starting for the front door. She only made it half way through the doorway when his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"And Taylor," she hovered mid-way through the door to the kitchen and the hallway, "whatever mess you've found yourself in with those two boys... please, for your soul and the Lord's sake, get yourself out of it." Coming from anyone else she would have been through the roof with rage at the audacity of _demanding _her to do anything- that especially. But he was like a father to her and seemed genuinely concerned, so she simply sighed.

"I'm working on it."

* * *

"I've been thinking," Lori twirled a strand of loose hair around her finger, aimlessly looking up at Shane with concerned eyes.

"Yeah?" He glanced down, frowning when he noticed the familiar look that clouded her eyes.

"Maybe," she began twisting it quicker, in a nervous fashion, her words becoming more careful, "maybe we should tell Rick. I mean, we're in a _stable _place now. I think it would be the best time."

"Are you sure?" He wasn't sure he was hearing correctly, she was actually admitting that she was ready to tell Rick the truth about Carl? "I know I said earlier that we should tell him but I think he might have a little too much on his plate at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"He got in that fight earlier with Daryl, whatever the hell that was about," he scratched his head thinking back to the weird scuffle that he'd caught the tail end of. "And that strange shit going on with Cassidy... and I can only assume Taylor's gonna give him hell for giving Daryl that black eye."

"So you don't think I should?" Shane could tell that she didn't seem convinced with his explanation. He had an odd, foreboding feeling with her tone since the beginning.

"I think if you told him now, you would send him off the deep end." He shook his head lightly. "Don't kick him while he's down Lor."

"Okay," she half-smiled, a very lucrative idea flashing before her eyes. Shane became weary, he'd never seen _that _look before, and it didn't appear to be good.

* * *

"Glenn?!" Taylor burst into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth when she realized she'd shouted his name, instead of whispering it like she'd intended. Carl and Jackson looked up from where they were playing with Bailey in the yard. She lowered her voice once she noticed their inquisitive eyes on the gossiping girls. "Are you gonna make a move on him?"

"I don't know! I just met him Tay," Maggie chided from her seat on the rocking chair directly next to her cousins.

"Well I wouldn't judge you or anything. As if I have room to judge _anyone_. Plus, it's the apocalypse! You don't have many choices..." she sighed and scrunched her nose at the thought. "He's a really good guy."

"Are y'all friends?" Maggie seemed a bit more interested than a few moments ago.

"We talk a lot, he's given me a lot of advice- yeah, I guess so. I can tell he _likes you_, anyway." She grinned mischievously which made the brunette send her a questioning glare.

"How do you know that?" Maggie rose a skeptical eyebrow at the assertion.

"Because he hasn't stopped staring at you," they both looked over at Glenn who was making hardcore eye contact with Maggie's whole being. Once he noticed them staring he quickly busied himself by continuing to struggle with the tent. When it flipped to the floor in a deflated mess they both burst into a new wave of laughter.

"Sorry to interrupt," Rick's voice broke their temporary laughing spell. "Can we talk for a second?" He locked eyes with Taylor who nodded dumbly. She hadn't expected him to come to her.

"I'll just go see if anyone needs help," Maggie whispered to no one in particular. She winked at Taylor before making a bee line for Glenn and his disaster of a tent.

"I guess we need to talk," Rick now took up the absence of the seat that Maggie had abandoned. She nodded again, unable to find her voice. From the moment Daryl told her she thought she was going to be able to tell him how she felt, tell him off, tell him to _go to hell_; but none of those words came out. Just the small nod.

"He told you, didn't he?" Rick's voice was solemn, he obviously already knew the answer but wanted her confirmation.

"Yeah..." she let her voice trail off sadly, she could not bear to look at him.

"I'm sorry, I know it probably doesn't mean a whole lot- now anyway... but I really am." He paused, letting his apology sink in. The silence seemed to engulf the air around them. Neither were worried about the two boys in the yard in front of them, they were far too busy chasing Bailey around in repetitive circles. "I... I thought you and Carl were _dead. _I was out of my mind with grief and she," Taylor figured he meant Cassidy but didn't want to upset her further by using the proper name, "came to me and said she could help."

"I'm sure she did," she whispered bitterly at the thought. She couldn't get past that the fact that every single guy that she was interested in suddenly became Cassidy's new target; if Rick didn't continue to talk she would have pondered why that was.

"I guess I know how Lori feels," he stated plainly.

"How's that?"

"She thought I was dead. She thought that being with Shane couldn't possibly hurt me in any way because, well, I would never know. It would never affect a dead person." As much as she didn't want to swallow the knowledge pill that he was handing out, she had to admit it made sense. She just didn't have it in her to hate him. Cassidy, yes, but not him. Not the remorseful man beside her.

"I'm not mad," she clasped her hands in her lap.

"You're not?" She could hear the shock in his voice, she didn't even need to see his face to know her answer was not what he was expecting.

"No..." she sighed and finally looked into his bright, yet deeply sad, blue eyes.

"Why's that?"

"Because I feel like I'd be a hypocrite." She begrudgingly admitted, not wanting the rest of the conversation to happen, but knowing that it had to. She had to have a clear conscience, he was being honest with her, she only owed him the same.

"You and Dar-"

"Yeah. We kissed, twice." She quickly cut him off before his mind could concoct any crazy situations that didn't happen. The last thing that she needed was for him to _assume _something and have another fight, then her uncle would really give them the boot. They had to make this as quick and painless as possible, _just rip the band-aid off Taylor!_

"When?" He didn't seem angry like she expected, just curious.

"The first time was before you came to get me, at the CDC, when you were drinking..." Her chest tightened in pain as the confession tumbled out.

"I drank a few nights there," he furrowed his eyebrows trying to pin point the night in particular that she was referring to.

"The night that we did _stuff_," she sighed and tried in vain to not let any images of the night, both with Daryl and Rick, flash through her mind. She didn't think she could have those thoughts in her head and keep it together. She was not going to cry this time. "And then again, before you and I talked about being exclusive."

"So you didn't cheat then." He gruffed, wondering why she was comparing the situations. _Yes_, he was upset that it happened and she hadn't told him sooner. But to him it wasn't the same, he felt like scum and her confession just did not compare in his mind. "I feel like an asshole, I just want to let you know that we're done... me and her."

"It doesn't matter." Her tone was steady and clipped.

"It doesn't?"

"Nope." Her answers grew shorter.

"So you don't hate me?" He asked, hopefully.

"Nope."

"We're gonna stay together?"

"Nope."

"I figured as much," he sighed and rubbed his chin, the stubble itching his palm slightly. "For what it's worth... I really am sorry." She felt the hot tears burning behind her eyes, his heartfelt apology making a lump grow in her throat; but she had promised herself she wouldn't cry again, he would only try to comfort her and she couldn't have that.

"It's okay, I'll get over it. Just... please go away Rick." She bit her lip, trying to keep the strain out of her voice from holding the bitter tears back.

"Right, I'll go..." the end of the sentence seemed to hang in the mid-air, perhaps he was hoping that she'd tell him never mind, but it didn't happen.

Her heart felt like it shrunk three sizes, watching him walk away dejectedly. Something in the back of her mind tried to ease her by whispering, _maybe it was for the best. _Sure, she could look at it in a positive manner like her mind wanted her to, but it was really just another disappointment, another heartbreak.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Maggie and Glenn casually chatting, laughing- and a little bit of _flirting _on her cousins behalf. A smile spread across her lips at the dumbfounded look on Glenn's face, of course he couldn't believe a grade A hottie like Maggie was macking on him.

Her eyes lazily moved across the yard where her smile grew, she caught Jackson running excitedly up to Daryl. She watched carefully as he bent down on one knee, and spoke to the ecstatic child. He ruffled the tiny blondes hair and stood up, catching her staring immediately. His "I caught you" grin made a bright blush burn onto her cheeks, making her turn away quickly. Before she knew it each step was creaking in time with every footfall , his voice gravitating her to look towards him. Her eyes latched onto the now-bruised black eye and bandaged cut. He smiled awkwardly when he noticed where she was looking.

"Thanks for, uh, fixin' me up." Her grin evolved into a somewhat shy version of itself, her stomach dancing with butterflies when he sat next to her. No, that wasn't right, an _entire zoo _erupted with his close proximity and that damn smirk. The nagging, annoyingly optimistic side of her brain smiled smugly, repeating the mantra.

_ Maybe it was for the best._


	18. Heartless

**Author's Note: Thank you bigtimerushlover, transf0rmer, and Angel for the reviews of chapter seventeen.  
*Throws you valentine's candy* :D  
Thank you to the new favorites and subscribes, you are awesome too(:  
To answer a question, Rick will be getting some love in the near future! There will be a new OC (and maybeee a character from the show ;D) that will keep Rick from being lonesome. I can't leave him out of all the fun!**

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.  
HEARTLESS.**

"You can have the basement..." Hershel opened the door slowly and walked down half the steps. Taylor followed and by passed him until she made it to the bottom of the staircase.

"Aren't you coming down?" She peered up at him, confused.

"No... this used to be Nichole's room..." he trailed off and looked sadly away, it seemed as if he couldn't even bare to look at the depressing reminder of his daughter.

Nichole was Hershel's eldest daughter that had been away at her senior year of college when the outbreak initially started. He tried to get a hold of her every single day, calling and calling until his fingers hurt to dial anymore. Eventually he decided that she was traveling here, of course, that was way she wasn't picking up the phone. Once Taylor showed up and told the story of her rescue and her group, he had that much more hope that Nichole would have the same fate and wind up back here, with time.

"Oh..." she nodded in understanding, looking around at the beautifully carpeted and obviously repainted walls. The room appeared to be like any other bedroom, minus the fact that it was twice the size of the rest of the bedrooms in the farmhouse. "Why are you letting me stay here?"

"You and the child can stay down here, it's safer in the house," he sighed and turned to leave but stopped near the top of the steps. "There's another generator down here but I'd appreciate if you used it sparingly. Also the bathroom down here gets the hot water first, but also please-"

"Use it sparingly, got it." Her satisfied grin melted into a sympathetic frown, she knew it was probably killing him inside not knowing what happened to her. Maggie had brought her up to speed on the cousin that Taylor barely knew- while they were younger and she was visiting Nichole always seemed to be off with her own friends. "I'm sorry Uncle Hershel," she ran her finger along the pool table that was placed neatly in the middle of the room. "And thank you, really."

"It's no problem dear," he finally said at the very top of the steps. He spun around and called down to her one last time. "Nichole had an acoustic in the back room, you're welcome to use it. I know your grandparents used to send you to those music lessons."

"Voice lessons," she called up and chuckled that he even remembered. "But I'll probably check it out, thanks again." He nodded and took his leave, letting her explore her new room. She walked all along the room, noticing the bookshelf stacked with book after book. The pool table gleamed in the middle of the room, commanding all the attention and most of the space. She didn't mind though, honing her pool skills seemed insignificant, but besides doing chores for the farm, and taking her turn on walker duty, she didn't really have much else to do. She had a feeling they were all going to go a little stir-crazy if they didn't find things to fill their free time with.

"Whoa," Taylor opened the bathroom door and smirked, it was newly renovated, maybe only a few years old, and the entire room sparkled in white marble. The shower was massive, a lot larger than necessary, she thought, but wasn't going to complain about that.

She moved along to the last room, tucked away in the corner, and opened the door quickly. There it was, as promised, a beautiful golden brown acoustic guitar that evidently had not been touched since Nichole's return to college. She smiled and bent down to pick it up when she noticed a few cardboard boxes next to it. She sat Indian style and rifled through them when she finally realized what they were. Nichole had apparently printed out the sheet music for hundreds of songs that she must of liked, why else would she have wanted to learn them? Many were modern songs that Taylor also liked, when she passed certain songs she grinned, putting them in a side pile that she planned on learning in the future. She stood up with the papers moved to their own pile and smiled triumphantly. _Okay, now I just need to learn how to play._

* * *

"Here ya go," Maggie smiled mischievously as she stopped in front of the ladder that lead up to the loft of the barn. They had been walking back to the barn in silence and Glenn was just happy to finally be there, to finally find out what it was that she wanted so damn bad in the first place.

"What do you need up there?" Glenn gave her a perplexed glance. What could she possibly want to go up to the loft for? He sighed and started to climb the stairs without much protest, he supposed he would just have to trust her. She followed him up quickly and smirked at him once she was on the loft with him.

"So... do you like the view?" Maggie asked causally.

"It's just a barn," Glenn commented before turning around, but the second he was fully facing her his answer changed. His mouth hung agape and he blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. After a prompt rub of the eyes he had decided that he was not, in fact, seeing things. "Uh... it's ... great." His mouth couldn't seem to form words while she was giggling at his surprise. She stood with her top off and a devilish smirk on her lips.

"So," she took deliberate slow steps towards him, giving him time to back out, though she had a very strong suspicion that he wouldn't be doing that. "What do you say?"

"I, uh... I... say..." she grinned that she apparently left him speechless. He attempted to speak but his throat was _so dry _and his mind was racing a million miles an hour. The combination didn't work very well for forming entire sentences.

Maggie wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tip toes to plant a gentle kiss on his lips. Soon enough Glenn had fell back down to earth and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Their kissing intensified as soon as he realized that it wasn't a dream, Maggie was in fact making the first move, she was _topless _and kissing _him._

"Okay," she unwrapped herself from him and slid her shirt back up over her head, grinning wildly at him.

"But... but!" He protested, noticing that she was starting to go back down the ladder. "Hey! What gives?" He called over the ledge down to her. Maggie shielded her eyes from the sun and looked up a him, shrugging nonchalantly.

"I'm done."

"But we just started!" He whined, unable to contain his frustration.

"Yeah... I guess you'll just have to wait til we can be somewhere even more private," her lips never left their smirking position which only made Glenn feel double exasperation. Were all girls like this? Or just the one that he happened to like. _Go figure, _he thought bitterly to himself. He quickly followed her down the ladder and chased after her as she made her way back to the farmhouse.

"Are you serious?" Glenn took a few ragged breaths after his sprinting.

"As a heart attack." She chimed with what seemed to be no care in the world.

"Well, but, when will we have _more _privacy?" He was desperately trying to sound detached but Maggie knew that he could not get the image of her chest out of his head, the thought made her giggle again.

"Well Taylor told me that you guys used to go on town-"

"Runs. Yeah?" He cut her off mid sentence finding himself transparently impatient.

"Well... the next time you go on one, count me in."

* * *

"Taylor," Lori approached her with Carl in tow, both smiling brightly. "I was wondering if you wanted me to take Jackson back to the stable. Hershel said that the boys can go back and pet the horses," she added with a grin.

"Oh, okay," Taylor turned around and called Jackson over. He came running as quickly as his little legs were able to go, Bailey matching his speed as they ran. They both came to a dead stop and stared up at her expectantly. "Do you want to go with Miss Lori and Carl back to pet the horses?"

"Horsies?!" He shouted excitedly, jumping up and down in the process.

"Okay, okay," she smiled, still amazed that he was always so thrilled by the smallest things. "Go ahead," she patted him on the head and turned around to watch the three go, the dog never leaving Jackson's side. As she watched the two happy boys skip along to the stable she heard the familiar rumble of gravel and whipped around on a dime. Who the hell could be coming up the driveway? As far as she knew no one from the group left. Just as swiftly as the thought crossed her mind, the answer came flying up the road. A dark blue pick up truck came to a screeching halt at the gate. A tall brunette, that seemed vaguely familiar to her, came out and opened the gate, the woman in the truck sliding over to drive it in the rest of the way. He punctually shut the gate the second the truck passed through, tilting his tan cowboy hat up to see better. He slapped the side of the truck a few times and jogged over to get a better look at the new group. It only took him mere seconds to pick Taylor out.

"Get the hell outta here!" He switched his direction and made a bee line straight for her. As soon as he was close enough for her to get a good look at him she groaned in disgust. God must really hate her. "PARKER!"

"Ughhh," she turned to go anywhere but there until he grabbed her shoulder and forced her to turn back around. She tried her best to compose a believable smile, unfortunately nothing but a grimace appeared.

"Awh, what's wrong Parker? I haven't seen you in ages!" He went in for a hug and she quickly backed up, putting her hands in between them.

"You know I hate being called by my last name." She corrected him, the resentment painfully obvious in her tone. He frowned before speaking again.

"Okay Taylor-"

"Actually I hate that too, just don't call me anything," she tried to make another getaway but he was quick to stop her.

"What's wrong?"

"You are ten gallons of crazy in a five gallon bucket and I don't have time for that mess," she answered simply, thinking that he would take the hint. She happened to be giving him too much credit.

"You don't want to catch up with your old buddy Rob?" He asked, his sinister smile now making its appearance, it was exactly how she remembered it. She tried to slink away from him, but he was persistent, cutting her off again.

"I would rather eat my own vomit."

"Ahh, you're still holding that ancient shit against me?" He chuckled and as far as she was concerned it was the laugh of pure evil. He put his hand out to touch her shoulder but she ducked away, her reflexes in full swing around him- just like they used to be.

"It's not ancient to me," she said through gritted teeth, "and it wasn't shit. You ruined my entire life."

'Awh, shit. You're still acting like that? Acting like I rape-"

"I didn't say that," she quickly corrected him before he could throw that word in her face. "I didn't say that..."

"But you act like it. Hey it was consensual, you never said no."

"I was fifteen years old and you manipulated me!" Her voice rising with anger was not what she expected. When he had been sent to the Juvenile Detention Center for shop lifting at the end of the summer when their 'incident' happened, she thought she would never have to deal with him again. She figured if she did ever have to see him again she would be older and mature enough to let things go; apparently that was not going to happen. "You destroyed my trust, I can't trust _any _guy anymore because I'm afraid they'll be exactly like you."

"They wish," he snorted with an arrogant grin.

"You are a conceited son of a bitch, anyone ever tell you that?" The malice in her tone was deep and intentionally obvious, but he didn't seem to take notice. He typically ignored anything that counteracted how amazing he considered himself.

"No one's gotta tell me that, sweetheart." He took a moment's pause, clearly mulling something over in his head, before he spoke again. "You know, Beth looks a lot like you did-"

"Stay the hell away from her Rob." She sneered, suddenly worrying if he had _already _done anything to innocent little Beth. "If you even lay a finger on her I_ will _kill you."

"Oh please," his smug attitude made her want to stab him, at that moment she wished nothing more than for him to be a walker so she could take an axe to his head. The fantasy of it all made her smile. "See! Now you're smiling! Our time together was obviously great."

"No, Rob, I was smiling because I pictured you with a bullet in your head. And you know what? This conversation is over, fuck off and go to hell."

"Ouch," he let a bemused chuckle escape, "and what if I don't?" He smirked and glanced over her shoulder, something she had noticed him doing the whole time they were talking. "Are you gonna sic your guard dog on me?"

"What?" She turned her head over her shoulder, thinking that he was referring to Bailey, but that was not the guard dog he was talking about. Daryl sat on the porch steps, whittling the end of a stick to a ridiculously sharp point. He hadn't even noticed her looking at him, he was too busy staring down Rob. "Yeah," she turned her focus back to the arrogant man before her, folding her arms across her chest. The ridicule in her voice had become more apparent, "maybe you should try to hug me again. Then my guard dog can rip every one your limbs off-"

"Hey y'all!" Cassidy's chipper voice broke the threat into a million pieces, both of their eyes turning to her. "_Taylor," _she cooed with her eyes locking on Rob, "whose your handsome friend?"

"Uh..." she tried to choke back the bile that arose in her throat of him being considered her friend. She was successful, and then a brilliant idea popped into her head. "This is Rob. Maybe he could give you a tour of the farm?" Before he could protest Cassidy cheered and instantly clung to his arm. "Okay bye!" She took a few backwards steps making sure that Cassidy was going to preoccupy him, once she felt satisfied she spun back around to make her way to the steps. She plopped down next to Daryl who went back to sharpening the stick once he was appeased that she was no longer around the 'bad vibe' cowboy.

"You okay?" He grunted, stripping off a particularly stubborn piece of bark.

"Yeah," she sighed, knowing what the pending conversation would be. She didn't have the energy to explain her and Rob's horrible past to him. Not to mention Hershel just got done reaming her out for the group fighting, delving into that ordeal would leave Rob with his own black eye and the group out on their asses.

"Who is he?"

"That is the devil reincarnated," she rolled her eyes, looking away when Rob's eyes found themselves on her.

"Want me to kick his ass?" He was still concentrating on the knife-stick combo, making her wonder if he was serious. He didn't seem to be smiling, making her smile, it was such a typical Daryl way to show affection. When Rick had threatened it she knew he wasn't honestly considering it; the same couldn't be said for her current counterpart.

"Yes- no," she snickered at picturing Rob getting what was coming to him. As much as she would enjoy it, she also enjoyed living at the farmhouse.

"You wanna talk 'bout it?" It was a simple enough question, but Taylor sat silently for a few moments pondering if she really did want to get it off her chest. She had, after all, never told anyone else about it.

"No," she finally let out with an audible sigh. He looked up now, seemingly done with his little project and noticed how devastated she actually looked. He frowned and stood up, offering his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up with ease.

"Wanna get outta here?" He nodded his head behind them, apparently indicating to the woods. She furrowed her eyebrows causing a curious expression to appear on her face, undoubtedly confused by his request.

"And go where, exactly?"

"I was gonna go try this out," he twirled the make-shift spear in his hand, "fish down at the creek."

"Yeah," the corner of her lips twitched up into a small smile at the idea of being away from everybody, even for a short amount of time. "I'd like that." He nodded silently at her response and took off in the general direction that he had initially offered. Taylor took a few sprinting steps to catch up until they were walking side by side. She glanced over her shoulder in time to watch Cassidy yank Rob in the direction of the barn.

The thought that Cassidy would distract Rob from herself was a good enough idea, but she knew that it wouldn't last long. Cassidy was an easy target, both Daryl and Rick (possibly others that hadn't fessed up to it yet) could testify to that, and that wasn't what Rob was all about. He was always looking for a challenge, anyone that could be labeled accessible was not to his interest. Unfortunately a young Taylor, and many other girls in the small town, had become a victim of his cat and mouse game. As they walked along, deeper into the woods, Taylor briefly remembered his mention of Beth. Was he really planning on doing anything to her? Had he already done anything and ruined Beth the way he'd ruined her? She couldn't push the sickening thoughts away, the terrifying memories of her own time with him flooding back into her mind. A dull noise pulled her out of the nightmare that had entrapped her. She noticed Daryl's lips moving but could only hear mumbles.

"What?" She shook her head, the images flying away, her hearing slowly returning.

"I said we're almost there." He waved his hand in front of her face, noticing the far away look deep in her eyes. "Ya okay?"

"Of course," she forced a smile on and went to step forward until a small voice stopped her. She whipped around at the familiar call of her name.

"Tawor!" Jackson's excited footsteps ruffled the leaves as he raced towards them. "Darrol!" His little legs gave out as he tripped over an unearthed root and fell face first onto the ground.

"Jackson!" Taylor backtracked and ran to him, picking him up off the ground and dusting his legs off. "Are you okay?"

"Mhmm," he nodded slowly, peeking down at his scraped knees with a scowl. "Dat twee twipped me!" Taylor laughed and kissed the top of his head finding his evaluation of the injury hysterical. Once the humorous moment had passed she grew serious, giving him a stern look.

"How did you get out here?"

"I walked," he shrugged his little shoulders innocently.

"No, I mean, where's Lori and Carl?"

"At da barn. I sawed you guys and wanted to come," he stated matter-of-factly, certainly not seeing any problem in his logic. Jackson wondered why both of them looked upset with him, all he wanted to do was join them on a walk. Where was the harm in that?

"They're probably worried sick looking for you." She set him down on the ground, setting her hands on her hips. Jackson had a knack for reading people and over the course of their time together he knew that her hands being there meant she was not happy. Just as he was about to apologize something much more interesting caught his four-year old eye.

"Budderfly!" Jackson raced past both her and Daryl on a mission to catch the bright blue butterfly that sat neatly on a flower- a flower that was dangling ominously off the side of a cliff. Jackson hadn't even noticed the steep ravine that loomed over the creek bed below. As he anxiously dove for his prize Daryl swooped in and pulled him back, handing him off to Taylor with a relieved smile. They exchanged a 'that was close' look when the fragile dirt began to separate below his feet. The weakened, barely there, section of dirt and rock crumbled beneath his feet, sending him plummeting down the jarring length of the rock face.

"Daryl!" Taylor set Jackson down, a good distance away from the cliff's edge, and raced over to where he had just been standing- a divot taking its place. She found a spot nearby that seemed to have sturdier earth to it and got down on her hands knees, peeking over the edge. At first she saw nothing but the water rushing through, and a rippling pond of deeper water straight below. "Jackson stay back," she warned over her shoulder, hearing his tiny footsteps approaching. After another inspection she spotted him crawling over to patch of rock that was only partially in the water. His half-conscious mind seemed to deem it a good place to lay and he collapsed, completely unaware of his surroundings. Once he had fallen on his back Taylor noticed the crude spear he had made, only it wasn't laying near him, it was in him. Directly through his lower abdominal it sat wedged in place, blood pooling around it and spilling into the creeks water.

"DARYL!" She tried again after hearing muffled groans. She couldn't be sure if he was responding to her calls or to the pain that must have been coursing through him. She assessed the area around her, there seemed to be nobody... not good. There also seemed to be no walkers... very good. "Jackson, listen to me." She crawled over to him and held tightly onto his shoulders. "Stay up here and don't move, okay?"

"Oh... okay." He begrudgingly agreed, still horrified after watching Daryl's fall. "Are you leaving me?" He whispered, tears beginning to form in his little blue eyes.

"No, no." Taylor tried her best to console him, knowing that nothing was really going to work. "I'm just going down to help, I'll be back up before you know it."

"Kay..." he shut his eyes for a few seconds, opening them again with no tears present. He was trying to put a brave face on for her.

"Don't try to come down, no matter what, you got that?" As much as she wanted to send him back for help she knew it would only make matters worse. She knew he only made it this far into the woods because he was following them, there would be no telling how lost he would get trying to get back to the farm by himself. She wasn't willing to risk that fiasco, she already had one life depending on her.

He bobbed his head again at her request, sitting in the spot where he stood. She looked over the edge again, taking a deep breath, she hadn't scaled a cliff since her and Maggie's heydays when they were just kids. That was years ago and she didn't have her child like bravery anymore. With a last look over at Jackson she grabbed onto a thick root that was poking out of the earths crust. It felt sturdy enough so she continued on, placing a foot on a rock that was bulging out enough for support. Her hands and feet worked together, trading off with roots, rocks, and branches one at a time. Although her mind was working steadily with her, her limbs were still easily preoccupied. The rock under her right foot slipped loose from its position, causing her to fumble and have her own fall. Luckily she hadn't fallen so far, her landing was much softer in a deep crevice of water.

"Shit!" She struggled to get to the top, the terror of falling making her forget how to swim momentarily. Once she broke the surface she choked out the cold water and gulped for air.

"You said a swearer," Jackson chided from the top of the cliff, a smile spread across his lips when he saw that Taylor was in fact okay.

"I'm allowed right now," she called up to him in between strangled breathes. She was wadding in the water, speaking up to Jackson when she heard it; the sound that had taken the situation from bad to worse. Once the guttural moan passed through her ears she turned her head towards Daryl's motionless body.

A lone walker sat gnawing on Daryl's boot; defeated, it stood up and made its way to the exposed flesh of his arm. Taylor knew she had _seconds _to react, and considering her position in the water, it didn't look promising.


	19. Daylight

Author's Note: Thank you to Angel, transf0rmer, and Lila-Renee for the reviews, I appreciate them so much! You turned a bad day into a great one, or a good day into a super one.(; And thank you to any new followers or favorites.(:

Disclaimer: I own no Walking Dead characters.  
Also the song at the end is Daylight and that belongs to Maroon 5.

* * *

**CHAPTER NINETEEN.  
****DAYLIGHT.**

Her heart pounded in her ears, it felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. Her ribs surely had been broken by how hard it was thumping against her ribcage. All of her limbs were like jelly and all of her bones felt like they were shattered. It all felt too surreal, like a dream. It had to be, right? There was no way that a walker was actually about to take a chunk of Daryl's arm off.

But it wasn't a dream, and there was, in fact, a walker about to nom on his arm like a chicken wing. She trampled over her own two feet, the water sloshing every which way and into her eyes. Taylor had to ignore the stinging sensation that pierced through her when it splashed roughly into her vision. She slid across the slippery patch of wet rocks and mud, falling to her knees and continuing to slide until she came to his crossbow. She picked it up and examined it with a frustrated grunt. _How do you even work this thing?! _At that moment she mentally cursed the incapacitated Daryl for never teaching her, it could have actually saved his life.

"Damn," she stumbled over him to clock the walker in the head, leaving a decent imprint. "That works," she took heavy breathes as she set the crossbow back down next to him, on a new mission to find a heavy rock. She would kill the walker with or without a weapon; a rock seemed justifiable with the lack of anything more productive at her disposal.

She heard a moan from behind her and whipped back around quickly, kneeling down next to him as his eyes struggled to open.

"Daryl?" His grunts went on for a few more seconds, she could tell he was trying to say something, but was unable to fully understand what. "I can't understand you." She brushed his messy, wet hair from his face. He recoiled at the touch, eyes springing open with shock deep seeded in them.

"Mov..." he tried, coughing up blood that forced him to stop.

"You're really hurt, don't talk." His eyes seemed to widen further, if that was even possible, and it didn't appear that he was shocked over his injury anymore. Taylor couldn't figure out what he was trying to tell her or why he was afraid, since he didn't seem to give two shits about the spear through his side. He battled with his wounded body to reach over and grab the crossbow, feebly checking to see if an arrow was still loaded in it. He slowly started to sit up, a fresh pool of blood making its way down his side and into the lazily flowing water beneath them.

"Don't get up!" She warned, the blood pouring out at an alarming rate. She was not prepared for this, she knew he had a very good chance of bleeding out at this point.

"MOVE!" He called out at last, giving her one last chance after his many attempts to warn her. When she didn't heed his warning he fired the shot, piercing her directly through the bicep, the arrow slicing through effortlessly until it struck the walker straight in the eye. It fell behind them with a loud thud but Taylor could not process that, she was too busy with her own pain now.

"SHIT!" She looked horrified at the small hole in her arm, grabbing it rapidly with her free hand. The blood began to ooze out around her fingers, soaking herself with her own blood, as if being covered in his blood wasn't enough. "YOU SHOT ME!"

"No shit..." his eyes began to roll into the back of his head, clearly ready to pass back out now that they weren't in danger. She couldn't tell which she was more stunned by, the bastard shooting her or that he gathered enough strength in that state to use the crossbow. "Blondie," his parting words as his world went black.

As she cursed him under her breath she gently rolled him up off the ground enough to grab his handkerchief out of his back pocket. She let him back down on the ground gently and scooted backwards until she bumped into the dead walker. The sound of her own surprised gasp scared her equally as much as the lifeless corpse behind her. It made sense now _why _he had shot her in the arm, but it didn't make her any less angry at him.

"Please God," she whispered out loud as she scrambled to get the handkerchief tied around her own wound. It wasn't nearly as bad as his, they were both bleeding too much for their own good, but considering that fact that the was _coughing _up blood as well as leaking it from the hole in his side, she knew he was worse off. She had to put up with this pain if he was going to live. "Please God help us." She tied the piece of cloth tightly around her arm in a mediocre attempt to tourniquet it.

"Jackson!" Taylor craned her neck up to look a the spot where he last was.

"Yeah?" She could hear him respond and began to worry that he would peek over to survey the damage.

"Don't look down here, okay? Just stay put!"

"Okay!" His voice seemed to shake, she could tell he was growing weary of the situation, but couldn't find the strength in herself to move any faster than she already was. She inhaled deeply, letting it slowly exhale over a span of a few seconds. She had to mentally prepare herself for how much of a bitch it was going to be to move him- with a defective arm nonetheless. She looked down at the spear again, vaguely remembering what her grandmother had told her so long ago. It was nursing 101 as her grandma liked to put it; she needed to make sure that thing wasn't going to shift around while she moved him, or get it out.

"Think... think..." She scrutinized herself for already using the handkerchief for herself, now what would she tie off _his _injury with? She looked down at herself and instantly remembered the shirt that Maggie had given her, it was a short sleeve flannel that was thin enough that it could work. She slid it off, careful to graze slowly over where the arrow had passed, peeling it off with one last tug.

"This is going to hurt you a lot more than it's going to hurt me," she whispered, knowing full well that he couldn't hear her._ One... two... three..._ She yanked the spear out with one, swift pull, yelping as she fell backwards from the force. Daryl twitched and she could have sworn she heard a whimper, but he didn't wake up. She crawled forward quickly to use Maggie's shirt to tie around his waist. She secured it with two tight knots before leaning back on the soles of her feet.

"Hard parts over, for you anyway." She grunted and stood up, remembering at the very last second to pick up his crossbow and sling it over herself in the same fashion that he wore it. She grabbed his arms and began to drag him across the low laying dirt. She made it few feet when the ground began to slant upwards against her heels. She saw the bloody streak that lined the trail of where they'd moved so far and shook her head. Could this really work? It certainly wasn't looking good thus far.

As she restarted her trek that would now force her to drag at an angle she heard a muffled groan. Her eyebrows furrowed thinking that Daryl was awake.

"Good, you can walk your own ass back-" When she finally tore her eyes away from the ground she dropped his arms in a hurry. "Ohh, fuck me sideways." Two more stray walkers staggered along through the creek, spotting Taylor and Daryl with ease. They broke into a slow, limping sprint, making a direct line towards the defenseless pair.

* * *

Sophia and Carl ran in circles around the RV, clearly playing a game of it tag while Andrea and Edwin climbed up on top of it. Rick stepped down from his position on 'walker duty' and patted Carl on the head as he passed by. He was heading towards Lori who was racing around panicky, apparently looking for something, he wasn't sure what though.

"You think it's a good idea?" Edwin looked over at Andrea skeptically. "Me having a gun, I mean?" He smirked, tossing the small handgun back and forth.

"I don't think it's a good idea if you keep doing that-" She reached over and put her hand over his to stop him from the dangerous juggling act. "Not to brag but I'm a pretty good shot, with me here I don't think they really care who the second person on walker duty is." She smiled and picked her rifle back up, placing it gently on her lap. She held the binoculars up and did a quick scan which came up empty.

"When do you think we should tell them?" He stopped fooling around with the gun and dropped his tone to ominous. She was surprised by his sudden change in subject.

"I... I don't know." She sighed and looked down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs anxiously. "This is just like last time, I hate thinking about how we're going to tell them all over again."

"You think they'll freak out?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, I pretty much lost it when you told me." She shuddered, thinking back to the night when he broke the horrible news to her; entrusted the horrible secret with her. "It's devastating to think about. I care about a lot of these people and to think that no matter _how _they die... they're still going to become one of those things." She felt tears bristle but bit the inside of her cheek to keep them away. She didn't like appearing to be weak in front of anyone, especially the men. "It's awful."

"Yeah... it is." He nodded gravely in agreement. "We should tell them soon, before it's too late."

"Too late?" She glanced over at him, confused with the inference he was suggesting.

"Just think about it," he mulled over his words carefully in his head, not wanting to upset her any further, "if someone dies in an unrelated way to the walkers... everyone will know anyway. Then the panic will start and it could lead to some horrible things. But if we tell them ahead of time, it might save us from some problems."

Andrea simply bobbed her head up and down a few times to silently concur. She could have sworn she saw shadows moving along the line of the woods, but wasn't one hundred percent. She lifted the binoculars again and peered through them, her heart racing at the sight.

"WALKERS!"

* * *

Taylor's arms had just about given out when Daryl was finally beginning to come to again. She was drenched in blood- hers, Daryl's, and the two walkers she had to fend off by herself at the bottom of the creek. She was lucky they got out alive, she'd be luckier if they both ended up living after all was said and done back at the farmhouse. She stopped, checking over her shoulder to make sure Jackson was still tagging along, and although he was going about it slowly he was still there.

"You okay Jack?" She whispered, bending down to get a better look at her half-conscious counterpart.

"Mhmm," he nodded feebly, still uneasy about all the blood, guts, and outright gore they were both covered in. He wasn't sure what to do in all honesty.

"Good." She focused her attention back on Daryl again who was stirring. "You're back?"

"Wha?" He sat up, causing a head-rush of vertigo. "I'm... fine."

"You're not fine, Daryl." She sighed, shaking her head at his usual stubbornness. "You've got a hole in your side, Uncle Hershel needs to fix you."

"Ah, whatever." He waved her off with his hand, struggling to get to his feet, falling over a few times.

"Are you going to walk back?" She asked dubiously, unconvinced that he would be able to handle it in his condition. "You can't do it by yourself." She stood back with her hands on her hips, letting him scramble to his feet and lean against a tree once he found himself able to stand firmly.

"Watch me," he snipped while trying to take a few baby steps forward. He almost fell over but grabbed another tree to keep himself from taking another fall. She sighed dramatically and walked up next to him, letting him lean his weight against her undamaged side. Taylor could tell he was still not completely with it, his eyes glossing over and his legs seemingly unable to function. He begrudgingly let her help him walk and they continued along in a painfully lethargic manner. Once they broke the lining of the woods she heard a faint yell, but it was completely inaudible, just loud enough to recognize that it was a person screaming.

Taylor glanced up and noticed Shane, Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog all running full speed towards them. At first she assumed they were coming to help, that maybe they had noticed they were both injured; but that idea quickly faded. They were running- no sprinting- at them with all their weapons bearing down on them. She was just about to yell to them, to stop anything else from happening, but she was too late.

"Daryl?" Glenn questioned in pure disbelief, neither one of them looked well, they kind of did look a little like walkers.

"HOLY-!" She jumped back as Daryl fell to the floor, the gunshot ringing through all their ears.

"Taylor?" Rick raced forward to meet them, instantly helping to pick Daryl up. He shouted back to Andrea who was still smiling triumphantly at her kill. "NO! STOP!" She watched him wave his arms and scream to her, and then she knew that it was a mistake. She shouldn't have taken the shot, just like they warned her.

"What the hell happened?" Glenn assisted in the retrieving of the limp body, looking at Taylor with horrified eyes. He noticed her own wound that was now bleeding through the handkerchief. "That must have been one hell of a fight!"

"We didn't fight!" She snipped as she followed behind them, still pissed that they were shot at, and that Daryl actually _was _shot. She had busted her ass to save him and drag him all the way back here and someone carelessly shot at them; he was almost killed after all she went through to ensure he'd stay alive.

"Were you bit?" Shane finally spoke up, still a little stunned by what he was seeing. He hadn't even noticed any of them went off in the first place, let alone all of this chaos happening right under his nose.

"No... he fell down the cliff and speared himself," she nodded to where his abdomen was tightly wrapped with her shirt.

"What about you?" He looked at her arm suspiciously, wondering if she was trying to hide what had really happened in those woods.

"I got hit with an arrow," she shot back, knowing very well that he thought she was lying to all of them. "Jackson's fine," she commented quickly when his gaze had fallen on the small child.

"Oh my god!" Andrea came racing up and did the math as she was approaching. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" She stopped ahead of them, surveying the damage she had caused. She knew she couldn't have had anything to do with his other injury, she hadn't been that far off. Andrea did see the slash across the side of his head, she had been slightly off her mark, thankfully.

"You're _sorry_?" Taylor chided, pushing past her to get back to the farmhouse as fast as possible. She didn't have time for any of this, Daryl needed help now.

"Taylor wait!" Andrea chased after her, putting her hand softly on her shoulder and repeating herself. "I'm sorry."

"What... what were you thinking, Andrea?" Taylor could not hold back the vehemence in her tone. She was beyond fuming and was under the impression that the older blonde was just pressing her luck by even bothering to talk to her. "You're always trying to prove yourself to the guys... God, Andrea. You're not a badass, you're an asshole!" She realized she was in her face now, her temper rising and the pain in her arm only making it worse.

"Taylor back off," Rick had swapped Daryl off to T-Dog who was now walking back to the farmhouse with Glenn. He stepped beside her, trying what Andrea had done earlier and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"No, she shot him!" She stepped out of his reach balking at the idea that Rick was honestly taking Andrea's side on the matter. Taylor had a sinking feeling that Andrea was told not to shoot, seeing that there were four people coming up to 'off' the walkers by hand, and she still insisted on doing it anyway. "You are so unbelievably self centered. You pretended to be there for me, but you never really were. And then, _and then_ you are so obsessed with proving your worth to the guys that you just have to take any chance to prove you're _awesome _with that damn gun. Look what you did!" She sprang forward in an attempt to attack but Rick was quicker, it seemed that he was expecting it.

"Just back up and stop talking," he had grabbed her and dragged her back away from striking distance of Andrea.

"Sorry I don't come equipped with a muzzle." She relaxed after he had restrained her. She turned away from Andrea and heard her mutter a quiet 'dumb bitch' under her breath. That was when she lost it. She got out of Rick's reach and tackled Andrea to the floor where they exchanged punches, scratches, and hair pulls. She completely ignored the piercing, shooting, pain that was rising through her arm and straight to every nerve in her body. Rick jumped back into action, prying Taylor off of Andrea and using his powerful grip to keep her in place, he wasn't going to let them fight again.

"You're so oblivious Taylor," Andrea spat some of the blood out of her mouth and wiped it off with the back of her hand. "You're out here fighting me because I shot him? _You're _fighting for _him." _She chuckled again, amused at the conclusion she'd brought herself to. "Do you really think he gives two shits about you? I was right, you _are _a dumb bitch. Daryl doesn't give a fuck about you! Why don't you do him a favor, hell, do _all _of us a favor and drop dead!" She sneered before walking away to her tent. She turned around, ready with one more threat, "better watch your back!"

"Oh really?" Taylor struggled against Rick as he held her in place. "Well you should try getting off yours sometime!"

"Are you calling me a whore?"

"I'm not calling you a saint!" Shane finally decided to intervene, quickly scooting Andrea along and far away from the issue. Once they were out of sight, Taylor collapsed into Rick's arms, the wet tears streaming down her cheeks. He led her over to the stairs where he helped her sit, she crumpled into herself, hugging her legs to her chest to cover some of the sobbing.

"Hey... it's okay." He rubbed her back comfortingly, just like the way things used to be. "She's just trying to get under your skin."

"No..." she looked up and laughed a little, holding her arm out. "I used this arm to hit her, and now it really hurts."

"Really?" He laughed until his sides ached, and then shook his head at her. "You mean you used that arm to whoop her ass." She smiled, the tears beginning to fade.

"Some of what she said _did _hurt, but-"

"She'll come around, apologize... she just said that stuff cause she was upset," he shrugged his shoulders fully believing that this were true. Taylor knew it wasn't, Andrea had always come off as a little odd to her, and now she knew why, she was fake.

"You're such a good person Rick," she grinned over at him, unable to make the smile go away.

"What do you mean?"

"If it were you and Shane that just had that fight, you would be the first to apologize. And even if you didn't apologize and he did, you would accept it. He could hit you in the face and tell you that Lori never loved you and you would just graciously let it go." She used the tips of her fingers to get the last of the lingering tears. "I'm not a good person, I'm not like you."

"You are a good person, and everything will be okay... that's all I know." He sent her a lopsided smile and went off to take Andrea's place on walker duty since the post was now abandoned. Taylor stood up and regrouped herself before going into the house, knowing that in one of the rooms her Uncle Hershel would be trying to fix Daryl up.

* * *

"How long are you going to stare at him before you're satisfied that he's alive?" Hershel was nearly done patching up his niece's wounds when he decided to call her out on her constant staring.

"I'm never going to be satisfied," she sucked in a deep breath and bit the bottom of her lip as he continued to sew the wound together. She definitely preferred to be the one _doing _the sewing than being the one getting sewn up; it hurt like a bitch. She peered through the open doorway again, watching Daryl's chest rise and fall perfectly. He would be one hundred percent okay in time, but she still couldn't get Andrea's words out of her head. Did he even care that _she _was okay?

"You're all done," he smiled and cut the extra ends off, leaving her with a expertly performed clean up job on the arrow hole. He applied a patch of gauze and taped it on, leaving her with a giant bullseye if anyone wanted to really hurt her, mainly Andrea.

She sat down in the big green chair that was pulled up next to the bed and frowned at the sight. A small set of tears grazed down her cheeks, falling off onto the bed. Hershel noticed this as well and hovered in the doorway.

"Dry them tears child, our time is much too short for so much sadness."

"I... I can't," she sniffled, hating herself for crying in front of him.

"Rick told me what happened with you and Andrea." She looked up at him with frightened eyes, she had forgotten about his no fighting rule, and now she was going to be the one that got them kicked off the farm. He sighed and shook his head, knowing exactly what was running through her mind. "No... it's okay... I just wanted to let you know that he asked about you the whole time. Even when Patricia and I were poking around to clean it out, which hurts a lot, you know that," he nodded to her bandaged wound. "He didn't care about that, just where you were. Just thought you should know that." He took his leave, exiting the room so she was alone. Daryl's eyes popped open, looking around the room rapidly.

"Hey," she whispered when his eyes landed on her.

"Hey..." he looked around once more, noticing that no one else was around. "Where is everybody?"

"Out at the campfire," she rested her chin in the hand of her good arm, propping that up on her leg.

"What happened to your arm?" His voice was barely a whisper, but she was almost certain there was concern in it.

"You shot me asshole," she smirked when his face fell.

"What?"

"You shot me, with an arrow. Went clean through." She looked down at it and shrugged her shoulders, an action she immediately regretted when the pain began to pulse again.

"Sorry-"

"You killed a walker, it almost got us, but you shot it." Taylor sighed, trying to explain that he didn't need to apologize, it wasn't like he did it on purpose, but he wouldn't accept that so she decided against saying it. "I think I've repaid my life debt to you." Suddenly she found it difficult to look at him, she tried to look past him, but his seemingly sad eyes pulled her back in.

"Life debt?" He asked, his head swimming with confusion, some of which she assumed was the lingering pain pills in his body.

"Remember you saved me first? So I owed you..." she smiled and fell back into the chair, getting slightly more comfortable. "I paid it back."

"Well I-" his hand moved down to his side where the spear had gone through. "Ah shit."

Taylor grabbed the little orange bottle on the side table that Hershel had left there. She took out two pills and a glass a water, handing it all over to him quickly. "Take these." He downed them without protest and looked over at the bottle.

"What's that?"

"Morphine pills, you're probably going to fall asleep again." Before he could answer Jackson made his way into the room, rubbing his full belly with an enormous grin. Taylor deduced that they had fed him well before sending him inside. He crawled up onto Taylor's lap and smiled brightly at Daryl, not saying a word the entire time. Even though he was just a child he had immediately picked up on the quiet atmosphere, figuring that no one else was talking so he shouldn't either. A few silent minutes had passed and Daryl felt his eyelids going heavy again, he protested against them closing, but they did eventually against his will.

"Tawor?" She set her head down on top of his small one.

"Yeah, Jack?"

"Can you sing fer us?" His voice was quiet, like he was falling asleep as well.

"What for?"

"Sing fer me and Darrol, it will help us sweep." She smiled at his request and he snuggled into her form, his eyes already closing.

"What should I sing?" She propped her legs up on the bed as she awaited his answer, and eventually it came.

"Anyfing," he yawned and stretched, falling back into the spot.

"Okay," she sighed and looked over at the bag in the corner of the room that she had packed earlier, the bag that she planned on sneaking out with. She knew she was leaving the group, she was going to leave in the middle of the night so she wouldn't cause a fuss. The words Andrea had spewed at her earlier had not stopped repeating in her head, over and over like a broken record.

_Do you really think he gives two shits about you? I was right, you are a dumb bitch. Daryl doesn't give a fuck about you! _She couldn't look at him anymore without an overwhelming pain taking her entire body over. She had always worried about it, but to hear someone else say it shook her to the core. Taylor couldn't face being a burden to everyone, to _him_, and to have the heart wrenching love not be mutual.

She gazed at the single bag one last time, knowing that she was going to be leaving Jackson too, not wanting to drag him back into that world; but also knowing that he would be okay, he was in good hands here.

_"Here I waiting, I'll have to leave soon, why am I holding on?  
__We knew this day would come, we knew it all along.  
__How did it come so fast? This is our, last night.  
__But it's late, and I'm trying not to sleep.  
__Cause I know, when I wake, I will have to slip away."_

She looked down at Jackson who was already long passed out, snuggling in between her and the chair. She smiled and continued to sing quietly.

_"And when the daylight comes, I'll have to go.  
__But tonight I'm gonna hold you so close.  
__Cause in the daylight, we'll be on our own.  
__But tonight I need to hold you so close."_

Jackson slept silently, but Daryl seemed to be having a fitful sleep, tossing and turning a bit every few minutes. She frowned and wondered what he was dreaming about. Every time she sang it was as if he was okay again, so she pressed on even though the song was tearing her to pieces.

_"Here I am, staring at your perfection.  
__In my arms, so beautiful.  
__The sky is getting back, the stars are burning out.  
__Somebody, slow it down,  
__This is way too hard, cause I know,  
__When the sun comes up I will leave."_

She readjusted herself so that Jackson had the entire chair to himself, and then steathily slid away without detection. Taylor lifted the curtain and saw that although the campfire was going everyone appeared to be in their tents asleep. The house itself was quiet and all the lights were out, another good indication that everyone was asleep. She grabbed her bag and pulled it up onto her shoulders, wincing when it scraped the bandage. She kissed the top of Jackson's head and tucked him into a blanket that was resting on top of the armchair.

She walked over to the other side of the bed, her heart breaking into a million pieces at the thought of never seeing him again. She touched his hand delicately and retracted when he began to stir, once she was sure that he wasn't going to wake up she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. When she finally forced herself to the doorway, she let the familiar line of the song play in her head.

_This is my last glance, that will soon be a memory._


	20. On The Road Again

**Author's Note: Thank you jedi-stark, Lila-Renee, and transf0rmer for the lovely reviews. I appreciate them so much, you are little rays of sunshine!(:  
Thank you to anyone new who has subscribed or added this story to their favorites.(:  
Okayyy, Merle is making an appearance in this chapter and he's kind of an a-hole. He won't be like that forever, just keep this in mind as you read him being a total jerk. Thanks to a certain Lila-Renee who has pulled me onto the Merle fanwagon.(;  
Enjoy, xoxo**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY.  
****ON THE ROAD AGAIN.**

Taylor huffed indignantly after stabbing an especially decayed biter. She stepped back and gulped a breath of air, trying to calm her nerves after it had surprise attacked her. She adjusted her backpack and began on her trek to nowhere again, she only made it a few feet when a hand covered her mouth and she was pulled back flush against a body.

"Ah-!" She couldn't even scream for help, not that anyone would hear her anyway, but the strong hand tightened against her face.

"Na' it would do ya sum real goot to shut ya trap." She knew that voice, that deep southern drawl anywhere. He let his hand fall and spun her around, smirking at her once she was fully facing him. "Liddle blondie."

"Merle?! What the hell are you doing out here?" Taylor tried to back up, make an escape, but he caught her arm and gripped it like a vice.

"I followed tis road out frum tha highway. Yer sheriff buddy left ta note fer some Morgan fella." He paused, looking into her eyes with his dark glare. "I'm jist lookin' for muh baby brother. I knows you seen 'em." Merle's smirk deviated into a snarl as she squirmed to get out of his tight-knit grasp.

"I'm out here by myself, as you can see." She finally gave up trying to get away realizing that Merle was the equivalent of a pitbull.

"Tat's a lie if I eva heard one!" Merle glanced around both in front of and behind them. "He's round here sumwhere, huntin' or sumthin'."

"No, he's really not." She glanced down at her arm noticing that her hand was turning stark white from no circulation. "If you let me go I won't run."

"N' trust yew?" Merle snorted loudly, shaking his head at her. "Liddle banshee yew are, no way."

"Please, you're really hurting me Merle," Taylor turned her tone softer, figuring that going head to head with him was not the best of all ideas.

"Shuddup," he began to drag her along the road, back the way she had just come from.

"He doesn't need you!" She shrieked at him.

"Shuddup or yew'll bring da geeks at us!" He twisted her arm, and of course it was the injured one. She cried out in pain as a red-hot, searing sensation ripped through her, triggering the memory of when it happened. "Whatda mean he don't need me?"

"You think he needs you to survive but he doesn't. He does just fine on his own." She dragged her feet as he pulled her along, the closer they got back to the farm, the worse the feeling in the pit of her stomach got. She couldn't go back, not after she abandoned them.

"Yew don't know whatchur talkin' 'bout!" She sat down on the ground now, being a dead weight, she decided she could definitely _not _go back. "Git up! I'll carry yer ass."

"Go straight down this road, nine or ten miles... you'll see the mailbox with Greene Farm on it. That's it." Her eyes dropped to the asphalt, "that's where he is."

"Yew tellin' da truth?" He eyed her suspiciously, not sure if she was just trying to get herself home free.

"Yes. But you have to promise you won't hurt Rick, or T-Dog." She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I know you're still holding everything against them."

"Tank yew ma'am." He knelt down in front of her, grabbing her arm before she could pull away. He rolled her sleeve up and saw the bandage, he knew there was something wrong from the first time he twisted it. Merle's giant hand wrapped around the wound and held as tightly as possible until blood began to soak through the bandage. Taylor screamed out in agony, knowing that the stitches had to have busted. Suddenly, Bailey sprang from the bushes, immediately clamping onto Merle's leg. The dog desperately tried to save his owner, biting down as hard as his jaw could manage.

"Git tis mutt off muh leg!" He let her arm fall to the ground as she suffered in outright pain. He took out his knife and reared himself to stab the dog that was currently chomping on his ankle. Taylor looked up from tending to her fresh wound and saw what Merle was about to do.

"Bailey! Come!" Hearing her call he let loose and raced back towards her, sitting down beside her with a small whimper. He looked back at Merle and growled, his gleaming white teeth showing through.

"Lucky I don't kill yew both," he began to walk away, turning back to grin viciously at his work, "n' I can't make any promises 'bout dat sheriff n' nigger!"

"Merle!" She called after him but continued to sit in the same spot, writhing in pain and nursing her arm. As soon as he wasn't even a speck on the horizon she stood up, staring conspicuously at the dog. It had crossed her mind that Daryl had brought Bailey out to find her; that couldn't be right though.

"How'd you get out here anyway?" She stood up and dusted herself off with the good arm. "Probably tracked me. Lucky they got Daryl doped up on morphine or he'd be able to track me too." Her mind momentarily fluttered back to the farm, wondering if anyone had even noticed that she was gone yet. It was now well into the day after all.

As she walked along the thought progressed, what if Merle tried to extract revenge against T-Dog and Rick? That would be all on her, and she immediately regretted her decision to tell him. But what could she do now? How could she stop _Merle? _He just taken her down with one arm, she was clearly no match for him. She stopped walking, the thoughts jarring her to a complete stop. Bailey followed suit and stood beside her, looking in all directions for anything out of the ordinary.

She hovered in her thoughts, why would she go back anyway? She couldn't stop Merle, and even if he didn't do anything bad, she knew he would give Daryl an ultimatum: him or her. Taylor knew who he'd choose, blood was blood and Merle would always be his brother; she would always be just a girl. Right as she had talked herself out of a return to the farm a car zoomed up behind her, coming to a screeching halt.

"Taylor?!" Glenn jumped out of the driver's seat to be sure it was her. "Jesus, you scared the hell out of me!"

"Glenn?" She spun around, instantly recognizing the voice. "What are you talking about?"

"You just bailed on us!"

"Oh..." she started to walk towards him, "is anyone else out looking?"

"No," her heart sank at his words, but his continuance make her feel a little better, "nobody else knows that you're gone."

"Then how did you-"

"I was looking for you," he cut her off, already knowing the question. "I couldn't find you anywhere. I figured you had to have bailed, your backpack was gone... and Daryl and Jackson were by themselves in the room." She furrowed her eyebrows at his words, making him feel like he needed to elaborate further. "I knew if you weren't there, you were gone."

"What about Uncle Hershel?" Taylor knew he would have had to question her whereabouts when she wasn't hovering over Daryl like she had been the entire day before.

"He doesn't know. Like I said, no one does. People started asking so I told them you were already in the car, we were going on a town run." He fixed his ball cap, the sun beginning to beam down on them uncomfortably.

"Okay, well have fun with that..." She started to turn again when his words made her stop.

"You're coming with me. Then we're going back to the farm." Glenn's tone had changed from soft and understanding to downright demanding. He was not going to let Taylor walk away and get killed, which he knew was exactly what would happen. She couldn't take care of herself out here, it was too harsh, too cruel. He knew she wouldn't make it.

"No, no I'm not." She protested, folding her arms across her chest.

"You're just going to leave everyone? Maggie, Beth, your uncle, Jackson?" He paused briefly knowing the last one would get her, "Daryl?"

"He's the reason I left," she whispered, suddenly embarrassed by her decision.

"What? Why?"

"Andrea..." Glenn sighed, he knew this would be good. "She told me that I was a burden to everyone, him mostly."

"What? Burden my ass, you saved him. And Andrea's a bitch!" He laughed, thinking about her appearance that morning that she tried to cover up with loose hair, "she's just mad you gave her a black eye and busted lip."

"Hmph," she frowned, annoyed that Glenn was changing her mind for her. "Oh... okay." She finally relented, still unsure if it was the right thing to do. She got into the passenger seat of the car, letting Bailey jump up onto her lap. They drove a few miles in silence until Taylor felt her head pounding with remorse of giving them up to Merle.

"I have to tell you something," she said slowly.

"Shoot."

"I, uh... I ran into Merle out here," Glenn peered over at her as if he didn't believe it. "I ended up telling him where we're staying." She grimaced, bracing herself for a berating from him, he only sighed.

"One thing at a time. I _have _to go to the pharmacy for something. We'll do that, then worry about Merle," the way he spoke his name made her feel like he was definitely not buying her story, like he was a figment of her imagination.

"You don't seem too _worried _about him."

"Well, I mean, I didn't even see him when I came up here looking for you. Maybe he got turned around somewhere," he suggested lightly, though the tone said something different entirely.

"Do you think I'm bullshitting you?"

"No!" He quickly defended himself, as he really didn't think she was lying, just maybe confused. "I just think, I don't know, you were in a pretty traumatic situation yesterday, you were _hurt_, you've been walking for miles..." He took a quick breath, trying to keep his words careful and steady, he knew she was going to take it personally. "Maybe you _thought _you saw him."

"He tried to break my arm!" She rolled her sleeve back up and revealed the bandage that was now soaked through with fresh blood, and an obvious, large hand print was beginning to bruise.

"Ouch," he glanced over quickly before turning back to the road. He could say he almost certainly believed her now.

"So what's this thing you have to go to the pharmacy for?" She decided to change the topic when she realized that Glenn was uncomfortable with the original one. She rolled her sleeve back down carefully as she awaited his answer.

"It's just something... someone asked me to get." He didn't seem too keen on talking about it, but that wouldn't stop her from prying.

"Who is it for?"

"I don't think I should really say anything," his grip on the steering wheel tightened and she knew he was trying to fight the urge to tell her. Apparently it was a big secret that she was not welcomed in on.

"Glenn," she whined like a child, "just tell me. I won't say anything." Taylor stopped for a second, thinking about a way to get him to spill the beans. "I'll find out what it is anyway when we get there."

"Fine," he grunted when he realized that she was not going to stop hounding him about it. "It's for Lori."

"Oh?" Her interest peaked at this, what would she need so badly from the pharmacy? That's when it clicked. "Oh my god... she's pregnant?"

"Shut up!" He hissed, still upset with himself that he'd said anything at all. "You can't say anything." His warning was firm and she knew he was serious.

"Okay, okay. I won't." She let out a low whistle, wondering if the baby was Shane's. That's who she had been with pretty much the whole time, but there was a brief period when Rick had initially returned that they were 'sort of' together again. "Holy shit though."

"I know," Glenn nodded in agreement, still a little shocked himself.

"So what are we getting? Multi-vitamins, baby stuff-"

"Abortion pills," he solemnly cut her off, still not happy with the thought. There was nothing he could do about that though, it wasn't his choice.

"What?" She stared over at him in shock, he couldn't possibly be serious. Lori was going to get rid of the baby? "Are you serious?"

"Is that really something to joke about?" Before she could respond he pulled in front of the pharmacy, shutting the car off and swiping the keys into his pocket. "Let's go."

They both exited the car quickly, their guns drawn and their senses on high alert. Taylor had decided to leave Bailey in the car, she didn't want him getting them into any extra trouble. There didn't seem to be any walkers around at the moment, but that didn't mean they couldn't appear out of nowhere. They ran in, being as quiet as the could manage, before each taking a side of the pharmacy to check. They were alone.

"I'll get the stuff for her." Taylor whispered, knowing that it would be easier for her than for him. Glenn nodded silently, agreeing with her decision to take that mission over and heading off to get some other medical necessities. She stood in front of the section with dread in the pit of her stomach. Her and Lori may have not been best friends, but she really wished that she'd reconsider her decision. After a long moment of quiet contemplation she reached forward, plucking the pills off the shelf and shoving them into her bag.

"Maybe..." she thought aloud, grabbing a two pack of little pacifiers with a sun and moon on them, throwing them in the bag as well. She really hoped those would be what Lori really needed instead of the first item she picked up. Taylor glanced around the aisle, grabbing a pregnancy test, and a few boxes of condoms. Hey, if Lori was already pregnant than she figured everybody else, namely Cassidy, should be a little more careful. She couldn't even _imagine _Cassidy as a mother, or what would happen to Glenn if he accidentally got her cousin pregnant.

"Alright, are you ready?" He came over holding up a bag of medicinal items to show her that he was done.

"Yeah, I'm good." She walked down the aisle and grabbed one last thing on the shelf that caught her eye, a small teddy bear for Jackson. She smiled and stuffed it into the very top of the bag, closing it up and following Glenn out. She was headed back to the farm.

* * *

Once her feet fell against the gravely road, her heart jumped up into her throat. She immediately spotted Daryl through the window, searching outside, for what though, she wasn't sure. She had a sinking feeling that he noticed she'd left. Which in turn meant that Jackson also knew that she'd abandoned them, even for a short amount of time, how could they trust her?

"Come on," Glenn coaxed, noticing that she seemed to be glued to the spot.

"I uh, I'll be just a minute." It took everything in her just to move her feet a mere three steps. Taylor stopped and rifled through her bag when she spotted Lori across the way, hanging laundry up. She was alone so she knew it was the prime time to give her the 'things' she needed. She dug past the bear and grabbed the pregnancy test, pills, and condoms out, hiding the latter two in the box of the first. She began to make her way over when she was quickly stopped by an ever curious Cassidy.

"Whatcha got there Taylor?" Her voice was venomous and she knew Cassidy was not there to make small talk.

"Nothing," she quickly shifted her hands behind her back, but the box was ripped from her hands. She spun around and saw Rob standing behind her, his eyes going wide at the sight of the little purple box.

"Wow Parker," he whistled quietly and examined the box, opening it to let the condoms fall out and splatter against the ground. Cassidy giggled and covered her mouth at the sight, making Taylor's face burn red. She knew they thought it was all hers. "Getting busy are we?"

"And apparently getting knocked up too," Cassidy chided from behind her.

"It's not mine!" She snatched the box back out of his hands, bending down to collect the little packets that were a mess on the floor.

"Oh sure..." Rob rolled his eyes and walked around, slinging his arm around Cassidy in an attempt to make her jealous, or so Taylor thought. She wouldn't put it past him, especially now that he apparently thought she was an enormous slut. "That test there... you and the redneck havin' a little one?"

"NO!" She stood straight up, stuffing the packets into the box with a frustrated huff. "I'm not pregnant." Taylor turned to Cassidy now who was smirking devilishly. "So don't go around and start shit."

"Ohhh, so what if I do? Are you gonna give me a black eye like Andrea?" Her snide tone made Taylor grip the box tighter, her knuckles turning white in the process. "I can actually fight, unlike her, so I'd love to have a go with you." Rob's eyes seemed to light up at the prospect but she quickly shut the idea down.

"I'm not fighting anyone."

"That's right, you can't really fight in your state. Wouldn't want to hurt the baby!" Rob and Cassidy shared a laughing fit while Taylor tried with every ounce of patience in her body to not kill them both where they stood. She glanced over their shoulders and saw that Lori was gone, _well so much for that. _She shoved them back to the bottom of the bag while her counterparts eyes never left her movements.

"I thought you said they weren't yours?" The brunette's smirk wavered slightly as she tried to hold back more laughter.

"They're not."

"It's okay Taylor, really. You can have Daryl, he's just my sloppy seconds, that's all." Her laugh echoed through the land, the sound of a cackling witch was the only thing she could compare it to.

"Oh that's a shame Cass," Taylor picked up her bag and set it on the front of the truck. "Because seeing that I had Daryl first _and _Rick, _and _Rob, technically you're the one that's had _three _helpings of my sloppy seconds. Enjoy." She smiled sweetly and hooked her fingers through the top of the bag, sliding it off the car. Rob and Cassidy shared a stunned look at her outburst, watching her walk away with disdain in their eyes.

The thought had made her slightly nauseous, referring to her tryst with Rob as a good thing, but she held it together long enough to get away from the pair. She had been busying herself retrieving the teddy bear from the bag, ready to hand it over to Jackson and beg forgiveness once she was in the house. She had just pulled it out when she heard her name being called.

"Taylor!" She clutched the bear and spun around, seeing Rick running from the woods, Jackson in arms. She smiled brightly holding the bear up, until she saw Jackson's head bobbing unconsciously as he ran, blood spewed over them both. Taylor's feet were locked in place as the horror over took her, what was going on? Why was Jackson covered in blood?

"What...?" Rick approached her with a grimace, looking between her and Jackson only for a moment before yelling again.

"HERSHEL! Someone get Hershel!" He started to run towards the house when she caught his shoulder, the panic setting in and forcing her to move and speak.

"What happened?!"

"He... he went off..." Rick was struggling to talk in between his unsteady breathes from running so far so fast. "I chased after him... but it was too... late."

"What do you mean too late?" Taylor's voice was laced with panic now, none of this could have possibly been happening. Daryl had hobbled out onto the porch, watching the the commotion with a frown on his face.

"He... Taylor..." Rick's eyes were filled with anguish. He did not want to speak the words out loud, especially to her. Daryl came down now, his eyes widening at the scene. He had already figured out what happened, bracing Taylor's shoulders for the inevitable. "Jackson's been bit."

"Jackson!" She lunged for him, but Rick swooped him away from her, Daryl holding her back. Hershel had finally been tracked down, and he began stampeding down the steps to grab the small boy from Rick's bloodied arms. "Please!" The small brown bear fell to the ground with a small poof of dust rising above it.

Daryl released her long enough for her to process the words in her mind, and as her knees went weak she joined the bear, falling to her knees on the ground. The same words kept playing through her head until she finally whispered them out loud, still not sure if any of it was real.

"He's going to die."


	21. It Will Rain

Author's Note: Thank you Lila-Renee, jedi-stark, bigtimerushlover101, guest, and Mischa for the reviews. *gives you Walking Dead t-shirts* Haa, if I could, I really would. You guys are awesome, thank you. Thank you to anyone new who has added this story to their favorites and/or follows. Okay, okay, this is where we meet Rick's new love interest (So to answer your question Mischa, no more TaylorxRick. Sadface. They will still be very good friends though!). And I should probably warn you now that the end has Daryl being very fluffyyyy :3  
Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, I have been having major writers block and no motivation :|  
ENJOY! xoxo

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.  
****IT WILL RAIN.**

Taylor sat up in a sudden shot, the nightmare slowly melting around her. She felt the bed next to her. It was still empty. Her horrible dream of being eaten by a walker was just that- a dream- but Jackson was still gone. She let out a few strangled breaths, the memory of seeing him dying in Rick's arms flooding back to her. The room was a dusky orange and pink, it was just before sunrise and the milky, distorted color was coming in through the small halfway underground windows. She sniffled and closed her eyes, taking a large gulp of air. Taylor suppressed the tears for as long as possible until she crawled out of bed, slipping on a pair of jean shorts and a plain gray t-shirt. She pulled on one of Maggie's borrowed red and black plaid quarter-sleeve flannels and crept up the stairs as the buttoned it up.

She tip-toed through the kitchen, hallway, living room, until she was on the porch. The air around her was slightly cold, the trees shaking in the wind, she thought it was going to storm, but that didn't stop her on her mission. As she walked by the camp she was careful to be mindful of her steps, not wanting to wake anybody up. She knew the only other person that was probably awake was her uncle, but she was also sure that he was probably out back feeding the animals.

This was her first time out in weeks, it had been a month since Jackson's death and she had used up all that time sitting in the basement. Taylor either slept or just stared blankly at a wall, she couldn't bare to come out and take the same steps that the small little boy who had depended on her did. She let him down and she would _never _forgive herself for it; but at the very least she could come out and finally pay her respects, if anything she was ready for that.

On her way to his burial site she stopped when something bright, yellow, and gorgeous caught her eye. She titled her head to the side slightly, examining it from afar, she did not remember ever seeing that type of flower around here before. The vibrancy coming off the flower was intense, something she'd never noticed a flower having before. She carefully plucked it and rolled the stem between her fingers, its tangy fragrance reaching up and hitting her, causing a small smile to form on her lips. It was the first smile since he left.

"Hey Jackson," Taylor smiled faintly, the wooden cross someone had made for him with his beautiful name carved into it made her heart lurch. She stepped to the side, not wanting to walk on top of where he laid beneath the ground, and ran her fingers across the wood. A chill ran through her, causing her hand to jerk back. She reclaimed her previous position, standing awkwardly in front of his tiny grave. "I'm so, so sorry." The tears welled up and started to fall in slow, deliberate paths down her flushed cheeks. "I know you'll never forgive me, but I... I..." she let the flower go at the foot of the semi-grown grass and fell to her knees, weeping into her hands. "I'll never forgive me either." She continued to cry into the palm of her hands until she felt a presence next to her. His hand sat on her shoulder softly, a silent show of support and sharing of the sadness. She kept her eyes closed and lowered her hands, the tears never stopping.

"Shhh," she turned and faced him, knowing who it was just by their touch and calming voice. He held her face in his hands, sitting in muted air, no talking was necessary. Taylor leaned into Daryl's arms letting the sorrow overtake her entire being, knowing that he wasn't going to judge her or be angry with the crying; he would just let her let it out.

"It's okay Tay, he's okay now."

* * *

"Ya sure yer gonna be okay? I don't hafta go..." Daryl eyed her cautiously, he couldn't be sure if she was lying or not. It was a good sign that she had left the house the day before, the first time he could recall since Jackson's death, but he didn't know if he could leave her alone. With all the guilt she was still feeling over it, feeling like it should have been _her, _he didn't know if he was going to regret letting her stay without his watchful eyes.

"I'm fine, really." Taylor pulled her hair up into a ponytail, trying to act as normal as possible, though Daryl could sense she was doing just that- acting.

"I'm staying, I'll be here if she needs anything." Rick walked up the steps behind them, smiling between the two. He put a reassuring hand on Daryl's shoulder, "she'll be okay."

Daryl nodded and shifted from foot to foot uneasily, unsure of how to say goodbye. He knew she would be even more upset if he did his usual head nod, but he wasn't certain _what _he should do. His eyes darted around nervously before he leaned down to her level, kissing her on the top of the head.

"Loveya," he mumbled so fast Taylor almost didn't catch what he'd said, _almost_. He trotted off quickly, embarrassed with the words that slipped out of his mouth, even more flustered that he'd said it in front of another person. The blondes mouth hung agape in shock, sinking back into her seat with a dumbfounded look. Rick watched Daryl, Glenn, and Shane leave to go on a supply run and waited until they had completely left the property to say anything.

"Umm..." he sat down in the white rocking chair next to her, his face just as astonished as hers. "Whoa." He nodded his head approvingly, grinning over at her. "You got _Daryl Dixon _to say I love you?"

"He didn't say I love you," she finally sputtered out, her mouth finally working again. She furrowed her eyebrows, a little upset with him that he caught her so off guard.

"It was very close," Rick's eyes lit up when he looked at her, amused with the whole situation, watching her face burn bright red making his grin grow further. "What? You didn't like it?"

"No! I never said that." She pinched herself, looking over at him with a little smile. "Just checking to see if I'm dreaming."

"I don't think so." Rick laughed, relieved to see she was back to normal. Everyone had been worried that Jackson's death would tear her apart, make her a different person. For awhile it had, but apparently she had time to grieve, and was starting to bounce back. Rick knew she would never forget or forgive herself for the loss, but that maybe she could still be the same old Taylor.

"That is going to take some serious processing," she brushed her bangs out of her face, glancing up to see a pair of gray eyes on them. Before Rick could respond she nodded lightly in the direction of the woman watching them. "That's Claire, right?"

"Mhm," Rick smiled at her when she waved to him, her long black hair in a braid like it usually was. "She was their neighbor."

"Yeah, Maggie told me a little bit about her, but I guess I haven't really met her yet." She had been silently referring to her own lock up in the basement for the past four weeks. Rick knew what she had meant and turned to her with a lopsided smile that he couldn't seem to force away.

"You should meet her, she's great." There was such pure happiness in his tone that Taylor couldn't help but smile along with him.

"Ohhh..." she mused aloud, giggling at the revelation. "You like her?"

"Well, we're kinda... uh..." he rubbed the back of his neck, his typical sign of nervousness that she had grown to know so well. Her mind temporarily flashed back to all of their good times together, making her smile even more. She was very pleased that he was genuinely content, and luckily it had nothing to do with Cassidy.

"She's really pretty." Taylor added when she noticed him stuttering in an attempt to figure out what to call them. She wasn't lying either, Claire had olive skin and gray eyes, long black shiny hair, and looked like she used to be an athlete of some sort.

"Yeah..." He let out a small, blissful breath.

"So you two are dating?" She rose a strategic eyebrow, a smirk gracing her lips.

"I don't know if you can really use that term these days." Rick stated simply, not completely sure how to describe himself and Claire.

"Is she with anyone else?" Taylor was leaning as far back in the chair as possible, trying to get comfortable but failing miserably. She scooted to the front of it, staring at him with hard eyes.

"No."

"Are you?" She kept her tone calm, not accusing, knowing that wouldn't be fair to bring up Cassidy. He told her they were done and she believed him, not to mention he seemed to be entirely smitten by Claire, not taking his eyes off of her for the majority of the conversation.

"No!" Rick shouted a little louder than planned, he reeled himself back in and whispered, "no."

"Then I would say you're dating." She smugly grinned at him, triumphant with her victory.

"What are you and Daryl doing?" Rick turned the tables on her and straight away could tell she wasn't happy about it. But hey, it was only fair, right?

"I don't want to talk about us." She stated simply, playing with the ends of her hair anxiously, she never liked discussing what they were 'supposed' to be. It always led to a fight and usually a temporary falling out with him.

"You never want to, Taylor."

"Because it will never _not _be complicated. I think I've just come to accept that." She realized she hadn't meant to actually say it out loud to him, she was only musing internally but somehow it had escaped through her lips. Word vomit and Rick always went hand in hand, for him as well. They just seemed to like each others company and confiding in each other, which was fine with her, she did truly want to stay friends with him after their break up; and she knew the feeling was mutual. He didn't have to say it.

"Well... whenever you actually _want _to talk about it, you know I'm here, right?" Rick touched her hand softly, only meant as a friendly gesture. The corners of her lips twitched up into the ghost of a smile and she nodded, as much as she wanted to, she knew she would never go to him to talk about Daryl. She would never go to anyone to talk about it.

"Yeah, thanks Rick, you really are a great friend." He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"Just how my momma raised me." Taylor laughed along with him.

"She did a great job." She looked out into the campground and saw Claire peer up from her yard work. She knew the ravenette was trying not to stare, or get caught anyway, and looked back down at the garden. "I think you so go talk to your girl now."

"I told Daryl I'd stay with you," he knitted his eyebrows together, giving her a stern look. He knew what Daryl was afraid would happen, and he had to admit, even though he thought Taylor was a strong girl, he was afraid of it too.

"I don't need a babysitter!" She giggled and folded her arms across her chest, rolling her eyes at her own actions. "Okay, _sometimes _I act like a child... but I still don't need babysat. Go see Claire, she really wants to talk to you."

"How can you tell?" He stood up, unable to refuse to advice she was giving him.

"I'm a girl, I know that look." She waved her hand at him again, "just go."

"You'll be okay?" Rick apprehensively hovered by the top of the stairs, still worried about his decision to leave.

"I'll be one hundred percent fine." Taylor's face lit up in a smile, a fake one, but Rick wasn't sure if it was real or not so he shrugged it off. He made a mental note to keep an eye on the porch while he was out with Claire.

"Okay... don't leave though." He waggled a finger at her the way she pictured he would warn Carl.

"Scout's honor." She held three fingers up, curving her pinky down to touch her inward thumb, the girl scout hand sign. He shook his head at her and suppressed an eye roll at how silly she could be at times. He jogged over to Claire and stood in front of her, his hands on his hips as he watched her work on the flowers. Taylor watched from her seat, Claire rose and her red lips spread into an eager smile, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tip toes to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

Taylor snickered to herself when she saw Rick look around tentatively to make sure no one was watching them before returning the kiss. She found herself smiling at the pair, so proud that he made the decision to avoid Cassidy and finally found someone good for him. She was glad he'd moved on from her as well, and she knew that both Rick and herself knew that she'd never really get over Daryl; which would have only meant Rick being hurt in the process.

Claire and Rick exchanged a few quick pecks before their kisses started to linger and their hands started to shift. She heard Claire's giggle float through the air, and even she had to admit it was adorable. She felt a slight pang of jealousy at the thought but it was quickly replaced by the same happiness for him as earlier. Taylor rolled her eyes with a little smile and whispered, "get a room, " before standing up and making her way into the house.

* * *

She sat staring at the sheet music and the guitar in her lap. She hadn't touched it since her uncle had first told her about it and she promised herself she would try to learn how to play. She never really got around to it, but now she was bored and by herself so she decided to try. After flipping through a few pages of the "Starters Guide to Guitars" and many, many misplayed notes she gave up. She threw the guitar at the foot of the bed and grabbed one of the sheets of paper. She stood up and paced the room reading the lyrics and smiling to herself, she had loved this song when it came out, and now she had a face to put the words with.

Taylor leaned herself against the pool table, setting the sheet down beside her, already having memorized the lyrics. She had known most of them anyway. Her eyes closed as she envisioned the music playing in her head.

"_If you ever leave me baby, leave some morphine at my door.  
__'Cause it would take a whole lot of medication,  
__To realize what we used to have, and don't have it anymore.  
__There's no religion that could save me.  
__No matter how long my knees are on the floor. Oooohh..."_

Daryl walked down the stairs slowly, hearing her singing floating up to him in an angelic tone. He had heard her sing before, but now that he wasn't hopped up on morphine pills he noticed how truly beautiful her singing voice was. She had told him a million times it was the only thing she was proud of, and although he disagreed that it was the only thing she was good for, he could see why she thought that.

_"So keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm making.  
__To keep you by my side, and keep you from walking out the door."_

She stopped immediately when she saw him picking up the guitar, she hadn't even noticed him walk into the room.

"What are you doing?" She whispered, ashamed that she'd been caught. He gave her a quick smile and held the guitar up in his hand, picking up the sheet music from beside her.

"This the song ya were singin'?" She nodded shyly, and he sat on the edge of the bed, scanning through until he found where she had left off with the lyrics. He started to play the chords and she pursed her lips, unsure if she wanted to sing now that he was sitting here. He looked up at her with raised eyebrows, restarting the chords again. She inhaled deeply and began to sing again as he played the notes perfectly.

_"Cause they'll be no sunlight, if I lose you baby.  
__They'll no clear skies, if I lose you baby.  
__Just like the clouds my eyes will do the same.  
__If you walk away, everyday it'll rain, rain, ra-aaiin.  
__Oooohhh, ooohhhh.  
__I'll never be your mothers favorite,  
__Your daddy can't even look me in the eye."_

Daryl smirked at her and her lips quivered into a smile while she continued on, but he surprised her by joining in. She felt her knees go weak as he sang with her.

_"Ooooohhh, if I was in their shoes, I'd be doing the same thing.  
__Saying there goes my little girl, walking with that troublesome guy.  
__But their just afraid of something they can't understand.  
__Oooohh, well little darlin' watch me change their minds."_

She shook her head and stifled a laugh at how much he was surprising her, a bright smile was all that showed.

_"Yeah for you, I'll try, I'll try, I'll try, I'll tryyyy.  
__I'd pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding,  
__If that'll make you mine."_

He set the guitar down now gently on the bed as she continued to sing, he stood up and smiled when she closed her eyes to keep singing; too oblivious to notice that he'd stopped. Taylor was so enthralled she didn't notice him taking slow steps toward her.

_"Cause they'll be no sunlight, if I lose you baby.  
__They'll be no clear skies, if I lose you baby.  
__Just like the clouds my eyes will do the same, if you walk away.  
__Everyday it'll rain, rain, ra-aaiiiin."_

He was standing in front of her now and she could finally feel his body heat from the close proximity. She opened her eyes and looked up into his, a confused look playing in the bright blue pools of blue. He smiled down at her when she stopped singing and stunned her by speaking the next part.

"Don't just say goodbye." It suddenly made sense what he was asking, and she leaned herself back as far as the pool table would allow her. He was asking her to stay with him, something she'd never expected to come from him.

"Daryl," her voice was breathless, she knew what was coming and wasn't sure if she was entirely prepared to fall for him all over again. She didn't know if she could handle another heartbreak after their first parting, then Rick, then losing Jackson, her heart had been through too much in too short of a time; she wasn't sure she could handle anything else.

His hand touched her face gently and his breath tingled her skin where his lips were just inches from hers. Every ounce of strength she'd had immediately vanished and she felt her knees _actually _starting to give out. He scooped her legs up and sat her on the edge of the pool table, the cold coating of the wood against her bare skin making her gasp . He smirked and leaned forward, kissing her gently on her lips. They continued to kiss until she was leaning so far back on the table she might as well have been lying down. He pulled away and smiled at her swollen lips, she sat up and crossed her arms over her chest, which only made her cleavage more revealing.

"What are you smiling at?" She scowled at him, her mind still fuzzy and the world slightly spinning around her.

"You," he chuckled again, averting his eyes and keeping them up with hers.

"Well what is _so _funny about me?" He moved his hands down to her hips and quirked an eyebrow at her question.

"Ya get cuter when yer mad?" Her frown deepened at his words.

"That's not funny, Daryl."

"I'm bein' serious." He paused, unable to suppress another laugh. "I don't understand why yer gettin' mad at me for kissin' ya? And complimentin' ya?"

"Whatever," she slid forward until she was no longer sitting on the edge of the pool table and started to push past him, unsure with herself of why she was even mad, or upset, or whatever emotion she couldn't figure out. He grabbed her wrist and stopped her from leaving, and that's when it hit her, it was exactly what she was thinking earlier, she didn't want to get attached again and lose him. The more physical they got the more attached she was sure to get, she wasn't sure if that was a girl thing, or a Taylor thing, but she didn't want to risk it. He wouldn't let her walk away though, not this time.

"Taylor, stop." He pulled her back to him so she was flush against his body, crashing his lips to hers again. He knew she wouldn't be able to fight it much longer, he was done playing games and he was going to prove it. This was what she wanted, wasn't it?

He cupped his hands under her thighs and lifted her back to where they were before, giving her no time to protest, firmly planting himself in front of her. His hands slid down to the hem of her shirt, lifting it up over and throwing it onto the floor unceremoniously. Taylor bit her bottom lip and mentally scolded herself for being so easily persuaded by him, but still did nothing to stop him. He trailed soft kisses down her jaw line, neck, until his lips hovered over her collarbone, setting every inch of her on fire. To say she was temporarily stupefied by this _gentle_, unexpected side of Daryl was probably the understatement of the century. This was not the way she anticipated any of it to go.

One of his hands slid to the small of her back, his finger tips brushing lightly and making her skin break out in goosebumps. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"Lean back again," his voice was husky and low, and the kiss that he placed by the pulse point on her neck made a small moan escape, he licked his lips and smirked devilishly. She did as he commanded, leaning back and propping herself on her elbows. But before he could do anything else to torture her so squeaked out, "you said you loved me."

He froze in place, leaning over top of her with a look of being ambushed playing in his eyes. He hadn't expected her to bring that up, he wasn't even sure she had heard him say it earlier. He contemplated ignoring her question but knew that she would bring it up again, it was something that she wasn't going to let go.

His mind spun with what he was going to say, but he decided upon the truth. He lifted his own shirt over his head and threw it on top of hers before letting his hands fall onto her hips. Her skin ached from his touch, his hands were warm, almost burning, in contrast to how cold she felt. He coasted one hand up, placing it delicately on the back of her neck, keeping the other steady on her hip. Daryl angled himself to kiss her, letting this one linger a little longer. Their blue eyes locked together and he smiled at her.

"I do love ya Taylor Marie." His hand gave her side a tender squeeze. "And I'm gonna prove it to ya."


	22. Gone

Author's Note: Thank you Lila-Renee and bigtimerushlover101 for the reviews of the last chapter. I have been having a lot of fun discussing our hatred for Andrea as well Miss Lila(: For the last chapter I wanted to give credit where I forgot to, the song at the end was "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars. Such a good song, sorry I forgot to say that before. Like I said in my other story it is harder than I expected to juggle two stories at once but I am honestly trying my best.  
Enjoy loves! xoxo

* * *

**CHAPTER**** TWENTY-TWO.  
GONE.**

"I can't believe I'm being dragged on this stupid road trip." Taylor grumbled from the back seat, Rick glanced at her from the other side and gave a softhearted half-smile. They needed an extra person to gather as much supplies as possible and nobody else volunteered, he knew it would be easy to convince her to go; though now with how miserable she looked he wasn't sure it was such a good idea.

"Oh come on Tay! It's not stupid! It's nice to get off the farm every now and then," Glenn quipped from the front passenger seat, grinning back at her when an idea popped into his head. "How about some music?"

"No," she rolled down the window and held her arm out, letting the air blow by and pull some restraint on it. She already knew Glenn would choose some form of rap music and she was not really up for it at the moment. After her and Daryl's tryst the night before Maggie had walked in on the tail end of it and apparently told Glenn. She only assumed this due to the fact that he had not stopped smirking at her since that morning. Now she was trapped with Daryl who was obviously there for it, Glenn who knew about it, and her ex-boyfriend who she _really _didn't want to know about it.

"Awhh, too bad." He began to flip through the CD case that had been relinquished to him by Maggie before they left for the trip. Maggie kindheartedly suggested some music was taken to get the edge off that she was sure Glenn would force on Taylor. Daryl looked in the rear view mirror, adjusting it slightly so he could see the pout the blonde was wearing. She peered up and frowned deeper, purposely showing him how agitated she was quickly becoming. He shrugged lightly, just enough for her to pick up on, as his 'sorry Glenn is pissing you off'. She rolled her eyes and went back to staring out the window, counting the abandoned cars as they passed.

"Okay, track number oneeee..." Glenn pressed the play button and when only silence came through the speakers, pressed hard on the fast forward button. He let it go and chuckled as they lyrics came through. He began to sing along giving Taylor a few glances and nods in Daryl's direction every so often.

_"Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it, sex in the air, I don't care I love the smell of it. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips excite me!" _He gave her a sideways glance before fully turning to face her. "I heard this rumor that _you _really like this song. Something about S and M-"

"Shut it off!" Taylor unbuckled her seatbelt and lunged forward at her friend, who at the moment, was not proving to be so friendly. She knew he was only doing it to get under her skin, and that her cousin probably played a small role in the ensuing torture. One of Daryl's hands flew off the steering wheel to block the small gap between the seats, forcing Taylor to stay back.

"I can't play babysitter n' drive. Rick?" He flicked his eyes up to the rear view mirror again, signaling for Rick to take over. He nodded and slowly peeled her away from the front seats.

"I asked you to come so you could help, not get in a fist fight with Glenn." She threw herself back into the seat, crossing her arms over her chest and shooting Glenn another death glare. "Is something wrong? You seem to be on edge today."

"Yeah she is."

"I'm going rip your throat out." Her words came through gritted teeth, trying to control the urge to lunge again. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and took a few deep breaths before looking back to Rick. "I'm _fine_, really." He let his hands slid off her forearms, releasing her slowly to be sure she wasn't going to attack again.

The rest of the ride was uneventful, Daryl stealing sympathetic glances at her the whole way, along with Glenn's snarky glances to match. They finally pulled up to an empty shopping mall, one that was made up of shops in a long strip, verses in one large building. It seemed to be deserted, but there were already a few walkers coming out of the crevices at the sound of the engine dying.

"We gon' split up?" With his crossbow wielded he exchanged a look with Rick who simply nodded his head. Rick gave a slight nod to Glenn who tagged along with him quickly after, being careful to give Taylor two ridiculously exaggerated thumbs up before jogging to catch back up with his partner.

He turned around to walk backwards a few steps, cupping his hands around his mouth to mouth the words 'safe sex'. Glenn spun back around swiftly to fall in line with Rick's pace, leaving them behind.

A hand fell on her shoulder and a low growl startled her, jumping back and panting as the decayed body fell just behind her. Her hand flew to her chest for a few steadying breathes, before she withdrew the knife from the sheath around her boot. She slid the arrow out of its head and handed it back to Daryl with a shameful blush burning her cheeks.

"Pay attention, Tay." Daryl shook his head at her, using two fingers to signal to the dirty, clearly already looted grocery store. She scrunched her face and rolled her eyes once his back was turned to her, but followed closely behind him.

"I highly doubt there's anything left here," she whispered, shaking blood off her hand that she hadn't noticed from his earlier kill.

"Just look n' fill yer bag." He didn't even bother turning around. They both took calculated, careful steps as they went down the aisle. Daryl had thought it was common sense to stay near him, but Taylor took it upon herself to split from him. She was clear across the store, pushing the double doors open to the storage center. It was quiet, too quiet for her liking. She rolled the handle of the knife in her hand, the light cascading in from the window catching it and causing a brief glare. Taylor held her hand up to shield her eyes when it was snatched; she prepared to stab when his face came into view.

"So's we meet again liddle blondie." Merle's snarl showed perfectly in the suns direct light. He pulled her closer, his eyes narrowing and the smirk growing.

"Why do you keep popping up everywhere?" She whisper-shouted, wrenching her arm from his grasp. Unlike last time they encountered each other, he let her go, with one exception, he came around behind her with the knife to her throat. "And why didn't you go to the farm-"

"I'm juss bidin' my time." She examined his missing hand to the best of her ability, the new gadget that looked like something out of a futuristic sci-fi movie standing in its place. He watched her eyes fall to it and smiled. "Didn' tell ya 'bout it last time?" When she didn't speak he continued, "the Governor set me up with it. Got nice people, nice digs, nice weapons."

"The Governor?" She moved slightly in a feeble attempt to get the pressure of the knife off her jugular. She was intrigued though, he hadn't mentioned this person last time.

"Yessum. He's the man 'round these parts... can tell ya right nah he ain't gonna take kindly ta yer sheriff friend." He took a step closer, causing her to stumble and take one forward as well. He walked in front of her now, keeping the knife on one of her pulse points. "Probably juss kill 'em. All of 'em. You too, unless he wants ta keep ya for other reasons," he ran his hand through her hair and she spit in his face, an arrogant smirk on her lips. Merle wiped his face and chuckled with a bemused grin. "This how yer gon' treat yer old pal Merle?" He lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of her ponytail. She was about to scream when someone elses shout stopped her, Merle as well.

"Taylor!" Daryl's call echoed through the doors, he must have been close. He let the hair fall from his fingers and took a step back.

"I checked tha farm out, ya got a nice little set up... the Governor _wants _it. He'll be comin' for it liddle Blondie." He winked and started to take steps backward to the exit. "I'll be gettin' my baby brother ta join us, then he'll kill all y'all. I'll tell the Gov to keep a eye out fer ya." He stood at the back door with the burnt out 'EXIT' light hanging above it. "He'll be comin'," he repeated. The last thing she saw was the snarly smirk on his face before he disappeared into the sunlight, the door slamming shut behind him.

"What the hell are ya doin'?" Taylor was pulled back to reality when Daryl's hand wrapped around her arm, tugging her towards him. She jumped and looked up at him, her eyes searching wildly around them. "What's goin' on?"

"Nothing, I just... I... got caught."

"Got caught on what? What are ya talkin' 'bout?" He looked around her, unable to find anything that she would have been snared on. He gave her a once over and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Ya okay?" She nodded slowly and walked in front of him, her head down the whole time. She had indicated that she was okay, but she most certainly was not.

Who was this Governor? And _why _did he want the farm? Was it because of their land, the animals, the weapons? He just wanted everything they had? Why had Merle found them a second time and not gotten Daryl yet? Was both he and the Governor tracking them? Her mind was racing with too many questions to count, but there was one thing she was sure of: the Governor was bad news.

* * *

"What took so long?" Shane raised both eyebrows simultaneously, looking to each of them in turn. His body was in its usual defensive position, both hands on the hips, legs in a firm stance, eyes beginning to narrow. Taylor noticed he didn't seem mad, but exhausted.

"Just had more ground to cover than we initially thought," Rick pushed gently past him and started to go indoors to drop the supplies off when Shane's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"We need someone for the night shift," he motioned over to the abandoned rooftop of the RV. "T-Dog's infection is looking pretty rough and he ain't looking good. I told him to sleep it off. I would cover but my ass has been sitting up there since you left." His explanation surely made sense as to why there were dark circles growing under his eyes. Rick sighed with the knowledge that he wouldn't be sleeping that night, just like the one before that.

"I'll do it," Taylor offered meekly. She knew she had too many things, question mostly, running through her head to get a good nights sleep anyway.

"You sure?" Rick turned to her with a grateful look, he was truly bone-tired.

"I'll help her." Maggie stood up from the rocking chair, letting it bang lightly against the house in her absence. She moved over to the creaky railing and sat lightly on it.

"You're both sure?" He repeated the question to make sure they knew what they were getting into. Sitting up in the RV staring off into the field for all hours of the night was a weary task, boring if you asked most people. Since they'd been at the farm they'd only have a handful of run ins with walkers and none were after dusk.

Both girls nodded with weak smiles, he shrugged and sent them both thankful smiles.

"Much obliged," he smirked at them, and as if they were sisters instead of cousins, they both rolled their eyes in unison.

"Mhmmm..." After everyone parted and Maggie was already on her way to the RV, Daryl grabbed Taylor's forearm, pulling her back to him.

"Ya sure ya don't want to come stay in my tent tonight?" She used the same eye roll as earlier and couldn't help the giggle that escaped her.

"Daryl Dixon," she mock gasped and placed her hand on her chest, "are you trying to seduce me?"

"Why, are you seducable?" His tone stayed steady but his eyes told a different story. The moonlight shone on them both, making his eyes sparkle. Taylor wanted nothing more than to take him up on his proposition, but she had already made an agreement and she wasn't going to ditch Maggie for a guy. She knew how horrible it felt in the past when they were younger and Maggie had done it to her. She laughed and shook her head at him.

"No, I'm not interested."

"Hmm," he shrugged carelessly and smirked. "That's not what you said last night."

"Oooh okay. _Byeee._" She pried his hand from her and jogged over to the RV, carefully climbing on top so she wouldn't make too much noise and wake anybody up that was currently sleeping. Maggie glanced up at her and handed over the night vision binoculars; where Shane and Andrea 'found' them was still up for debate but they didn't care because they were actually useful. Taylor scowled and ripped them from her hands, pouting and setting them on her lap.

"Why do _you _get the gun and I get stupid binoculars?"

"_Becauseee, _I'm entertaining you. I could have left you up here to rot by yourself all night but I am offering my cousinly services-"

"What do you want?" Taylor narrowed her eyes at the brunette, already knowing she wanted something. It was suspicious that she had volunteered her sleep to begin with, but now she was boasting about it.

"Nothing," Maggie looked away over to the main camp site where Daryl was putting the fire out. The flames died quickly as the bucket of water hit it with an audible sizzle. The moon and stars were bright enough to cast the shadows in appropriate enough angles to see some movements. He looked over at them for a few seconds before going to his own tent. "What's uhh," she grinned over at the blonde now. "You never told me about it you know."

"Told you about what?" Her sigh was loud and drawn out on purpose, already knowing what Maggie was trying to pry into. She held the binoculars up and gave a good sweep of the land, there was nothing but motionless cows and crops. She lowered them and looked over at her companion who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Come on Tay." When she didn't say anything she adjusted the rifle and her smile grew. "Glenn's great. Well, at first he wasn't but after the first few times he's improved-"

"Oh my god I don't want to hear any of this!" She quickly covered her mouth realizing that she had shouted. She let her hand fall silently and shook her head whispering, "seriously Mags, I don't want to know that."

"Why not?" She practically whined, giving Taylor a pleading look. "Come on, spill. You're like a sister to me, that's what sisters do. We talk about this shit."

"You talk to Beth about her and Jimmy?" Taylor was skeptical and her tone proved it.

"Yeah, well they haven't done anything that intense yet, as far as I know, she hasn't really been talking to me much. But before... yeah." Maggie let the sentence fall and silence hang in the air for a few minutes, letting Taylor mull everything over before speaking again. "Do you love him?"

"What?" She pretended to not hear at first, looking over sharply at her. "Of course I do."

"No Taylor, I mean, are you _in _love with him?" Maggie paused, a smile spreading across her face. "Would you take a bullet for him?"

"I took a fucking arrow for him, I think that should answer your question." She raised the binoculars once more, scanning briefly then dropping them when there was no new movements.

"So you're in love?"

"What? No. No, no, no, no. It's- that's, it's just complicated. Pshh, you should be keeping your eyes out there, you're supposed to be on walker duty."

"So are you. And you can hardly string a sentence together," she let out a low whistle, "damn, you got it bad. It's cause he popped your cherry isn't it?" Maggie could barely hold in the laughter from knowing how pissed off she was making her cousin. It was just too much fun, Taylor got flustered over him so easily.

"No!" She dropped her voice to a whisper again after the small outburst, "stop. You know I wasn't a virgin when we- just shut up."

"Wait, you're not pregnant are you? You haven't taken any of our condoms." Her eyes went wide as she scanned for a reaction from the infuriated blonde. "Did he pull out?"

"_Oh. My. God. _Shut your face immediately." She crossed her arms over her chest, looking away now and grumbling under her breath, "you should now, busting in on us."

"Calm down, I didn't see anything." Maggie waved her off and snickered again, unable to contain the hilarity of her cousins embarrassment. Once her laughing ceased, she grabbed her stomach as the pain in her abs grew. Her tone returned to normal now, "how was it anyway?"

Taylor let out a dreamy sigh making Maggie roll her eyes and mock a gagging sound. "Incredible? I think he was _really _trying to channel his romantic side. I mean... it's just not how I picture it going down with him, you know?"

"Of course. You do it once and it's great, I have to go through like five test trails before it got good." Maggie flipped her hand in the air to show her frustration and ignored the latter part of her cousins question.

"You're such a drama queen." It was finally her turn to laugh, Maggie had always been slightly overdramatic, no more than Taylor, but still 'dramatic' nonetheless.

"Oh coming from _you_, who almost faints every time he's around."

"I do not." She frowned and gave her cousin a disapproving look who only smiled cheekily back at her. No matter how much she insulted her, Taylor could never stay mad for long. Maggie's words couldn't have been more true, she was like a sister.

"I haven't gossiped like this since high school. It feels good." The brunette ran a hand through her hair and motioned for Taylor to do another check; she did so obediently and looked back over. Maggie's lips twisted into a small smirk. "The only problem now is every time I look at him, I'm going to picture him naked."

"Yeah... welcome to my life."

* * *

"What are ya doin'?" Daryl approached Taylor cautiously, she had just finished linking up the horse trailer to the back of the truck. It had already been ready to go, just needed a few adjustments, and she apparently took it upon herself to do so. It was just after sunrise, the milky colors of orange and yellow still mixing together roughly in the sky; way too early for manual labor. Too early for Taylor anyway.

"Getting the trailer ready." She huffed and leaned against it, looking at him with a strange look that he'd never seen before playing in her eyes.

"I can see that..." He stepped up closer, getting a better look at her, a quick once over showed that she was awfully pale and looked ready to faint. "Why?"

"So it's ready to go." She pushed herself off the trailer and began to make her way back to the stables. At first he just stared dumbfounded, unable to really grasp what the hell she was doing in the first place. After she had gotten pretty far away he jogged quickly to catch up with her.

"Ready to go where?" He walked next to her, slowing his pace so it met her sluggish one.

"Anywhere. We need to be ready to leave." She didn't even bat an eye as she said this which only made him more perplexed. Once inside the stables she picked up a bale of hay and started to walk out.

"Why are we leavin'?" He blocked her path and she sighed loudly.

"I had a dream-"

"When did ya sleep?" He questioned, not following anything that was happening. "I thought ya had night watch?"

"Rick came out later and let me and Maggie go. Told us to go to bed." She tried to walk around him again but he kept predicting her every move. "I had a dream the farm is going to be overrun by walkers. We need to be ready."

"That's crazy Taylor." He threw the hay out of her hands and let it topple to the ground. "The farm ain't gonna be overrun and we ain't leavin'."

"_Yeah, it is_. I had the dream about it, but it wasn't a dream, it felt so real..." She looked at him with honesty deep seeded in her eyes, he could tell she wanted him to believe her. But it was too crazy, how could she just predict something like that? He took her by the shoulders and looked closer, just as he'd seen earlier she was paler than usual- a lot, there was sweat forming on her brow, and she looked drained. He took one hand and felt her forehead almost wanting to instantly jerk it back as he did.

"Holy shit, yer hot."

"No, you're hot. What? No." He couldn't help but smirk at her ridiculous comment.

"Do ya even know what yer sayin' anymore?" He led her over to the bale of hay and tried to get her to sit though she continued to stand.

"No, but I'm fine." He pointed to the hay and she reluctantly sat.

"Ya need to get some sleep, some rest. Ya look like yer gonna pass out." He shook his head at her and realized that maybe that explained her weird behavior and sickness, she was just tired, really really tired.

"No." She shook her head, causing the hair to shake with it, some of it sticking to her neck from the sweat that was starting to cover her. She began to shake and held her arms to herself.

"Ya either get yer ass to bed, or I'll make ya." He didn't have time to follow through with his threat as her eyes fluttered shut and she slumped over, almost falling off the bale of hay completely. He dodged forward and grabbed her just in time before she hit the ground. Didn't he warn her this would happen? He grunted and thought to himself snarkily, _women never listen._

* * *

"She's burning up." Hershel took his hand away from her forehead and grabbed a thermometer from the kit that was splayed out on the night table beside the bed. He slipped it in her mouth and let it settle under her tongue for a few seconds before it beeped with its signal of completion. "One hundred and three." His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth as a show of 'its not good' without actually saying it.

"What do we do?" Maggie sat on the bed, her hand clasped around her cousins as tears filled her eyes. She was scared, terrified really. Taylor had told her all about the signs that people showed just before turning. "She'll be okay, right?"

"Maybe it's just a bug." He offered, a frown creasing his mouth together.

"A bug? From who? We're the only ones around here." She felt the tears release and begin to stream down her face, no one really needed to say it at this point, it was looking grim.

"Maybe..." Hershel looked solemnly at Daryl whose arms were resting on his legs, his hands covering his mouth. He was slumped over and looked deep in concentration, though Hershel decided to say it anyway. "Maybe she's been infected."

"When would she have gotten bit?" Daryl mumbled through his hands, worried that she was sick, but not believing that she could be turning as they spoke.

"I don't know." He shrugged and the frown deepened, he didn't want to think it either.

"Oh no..." Maggie started, her hand tightening around Taylors. "Last night when Rick took over, she was walking towards your tent-"

"She never came to my tent." Daryl looked up now, worry beginning to actually etch onto his features. None of this was looking or sounding good, he didn't like any of it.

"Oh no," the brunette repeated, shaking her head. "I was going to say I didn't see where she actually went. What if... what if she went off and a walker got her?"

"It could have bit or scratched her, she just didn't want to tell anyone?" Hershel looked down at his niece was sad eyes, he was saying the words, but certainly not wanting to think any of them could be true.

"We would be able to see that." Daryl protested, getting more anxious with all these scenarios everyone was playing out. Hershel nodded gravely at this, walking to the head of the bed and slightly moving the collar of her flannel. There were four prominent, bright red scratches, and they definitely appeared human.

"I... this can't be right!"

"She said somethin' 'bout the farm gettin' taken over by walkers. A dream or somethin'... but she said it was almost real. That mean anything?" Daryl offered, trying to put the pieces together to form any picture except the one they were coming up with.

"Hallucinations?" Hershel shook his head slowly, everything that Rick had warned him about the way people changed was just in his minds eye.

"What do we do?" Maggie shot up from the bed, clasping her hands to her face as she started to cry harder.

"The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers." Andrea appeared suddenly, leaning against the door frame. A small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips but she tried to hide it.

"What?" Maggie lowered her hands, looking between Daryl and Andrea.

"That's what you said, right Daryl?" The sneer on her face was visible now and Daryl clenched his jaw in an attempt to not say anything. "Oh? It's different now? The line's not so clear anymore?" His fists tightened as she pushed on, trying to send everyone off the edge and nearly being successful.

"Are you suggesting we kill my cousin?" Maggie began to take deliberate steps closer to the blonde who stood firmly at the door.

"Well that's the rule. We had to kill _my sister_. Jim couldn't stick around. That's the rule. Zero. Tolerance. For Walkers." Maggie shoved her back into the next room, her face burning red with rage.

"Those may have been the rules before but this is _our _farm, _our _house, and the rules are different." Just as she was about to send her a right hook Rick came busting in the door. He glanced between the two but didn't ask any questions, quickly making his way into the next room. He looked between Daryl and Hershel, his eyes momentarily setting on Taylor but still having no time to ask anything.

"What happened?" Daryl stood up noticing the panicky look etched on Rick's features. Andrea and Maggie had joined them in the room, curious to Rick's entrance.

"The farm..." he took ragged breathes as he attempted to find a good airway. He had run too far too fast. "It's... we have to go."

"What? Why?" Hershel's eyes, along with Daryl's, Rick's, Andrea's, and Maggie's all turned towards the window. What they saw floored them, Daryl especially. Taylor's dream was right after all. A hoard of walkers was bursting at the seams of the fence trying to get in. The whole length of the fence was lined with one bloody, growling, gnawing, decaying body after the other, all moaning to get their hands on the tasty meals before them.

"Holy shit." Almost everyone with the exception of Rick and Hershel spat out simultaneously.

"We have to leave the farm, now."


	23. Deadly Game

Author's Note: Thank you Lila-Renee and Isnotamusedsir for your reviews! They made me smile like a fool(: And thanks to any new follows or favorites. The song at the very beginning of this chapter belongs to Secondhand Serenade, "Fall For You" belongs to them, not me. Just like everyone from the Walking Dead belongs to Robert Kirkman which makes me sad on a daily basis. But enough about that, here's chapter twenty-three, I'm honestly surprised I've made it this far.  
Enjoy, xoxo.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE.  
****DEADLY GAME.**

** "**_The best thing 'bout tonight's that we're not fighting,  
__and could it be that we have been this way before?  
__I know you don't think that I am trying,  
__I know you're wearing thin down to the core.  
__But hold your breath, because tonight will be the night that  
__I will fall for you over again, don't make me change my mind.  
__Or I won't live to see another day I swear it's true.  
__Because a girl like you is impossible to find, you're impossible to find."_

Taylor could faintly hear a voice signing, a familiar voice, a mans voice, but definitely not Daryl's. No, she would know if it was him, their night together and the way he sung to her... she would never forget that voice. She tried to concentrate, her eyes not able to open, her body not able to move, but her mind still somehow able to work. Her brain worked through years of voices, years of other people singing, she could almost place it, almost...

She felt a hand brush her face but still couldn't open her eyelids, it was like they were clamped shut with concrete.

_GLENN. _She smiled to herself, still in her mind, she knew her lips weren't moving, but she had figured it out. He was singing to Maggie, he just had to be. 'Fall For You' was always Maggie's favorite song, Taylor remembered the summer it came out she was forced to listen to it on repeat for hours on end. Glenn was singing to Maggie? Taylor would have loved to sigh with how cute the gesture was, but she was only able to think it. She heard footsteps approaching, mummers of voices, mumbles.

"Still not up?" Hershel's voice came through clear as bell, she knew her uncle was in the room now, referring to her. She wanted to scream out loud, _I am up! I just can't _wake _up! Or talk..._

"No. Not even movin' anymore." Daryl sat on the edge of the bed, his hand retracting from her face when Hershel came into the cell. He frowned and shook his head, looking down at his hands in a lost puppy sort of manner.

"She'll pull out of this." Hershel's hand sat on his shoulder for a moment, giving it a supportive squeeze before backing up and using his crutches to hobble back out into the main block. Taylor heard the uneven pitter-patter of a footstep and something else. But what the other thing was she couldn't be sure. _Why is everything echoing so much? The house doesn't normally echo._

"Sure." Daryl finally whispered after Hershel had disappeared. He sat staring at Taylor's motionless body for a few more moments finally sighing and standing up. She could feel the weight of the bed shift, his presence making her heart ache. Out of all the times she really needed him, this was one of the most important. She couldn't speak or move, she needed something comforting.

"Just wake up." Daryl leaned against the wall of the cell, letting his body slide down until he was sitting against the floor, his head tilted back. He let it fall forward now, staring into his lap. She heard him again, louder. "Please just wake the hell up Tay... I _need _ya to wake up." She felt a shiver run down her spine at his words, and her heart break into a million pieces at his confession. She sighed and whimpered wishing to speak his name.

"_Da...ry...l." _Her eyelids moved rapidly under the eyelids, had she said it out loud? It didn't feel like it was just in her head that time. She even felt her lips move.

"Taylor?" His head jerked up at the soft hiss he heard, almost sounding like his name. He got on his knees and pushed himself forward, leaning against the bed. "Say it again."

"Daryl?" Her voice came through more prominent, it was definitely his name. Her eyes snapped open, she blinked a few times in surprise that she was actually able to do it that time. She looked around rapidly, taking in everything before her but nothing was the same. She didn't recognize anything at all in fact. Everything dark and gray, metal, bars? The only thing familiar was Daryl's face coming into view.

"Ya okay?" She saw the relieved smile on his face, but it instantly fell when she didn't answer. "Ya still there?" He waved his hand in front of her face a few times, challenging her to look at him and speak again. Her arm reached up and swatted his hand away as if it was its own action. She could move again and damn did it feel good.

"What'd ya do that for?"

"For waving your damn hand in my face." She gruffed, still trying to get the feel of speaking after not talking for awhile. But it couldn't have been that long since she'd talked. Had it? Maybe a day, two, three tops? "How long... has it been?"

"Ya really wanna know?" She nodded weakly and he glanced around the cell as if expecting it to talk for him. "A couple weeks."

"What?!" That got her blood going, she sat straight up, instantly regretting it when a pounding headache came on and on overwhelming feeling of dizziness shot through her.

"Take it easy." His tone was calm and soothing in rough contrast to her strained and panicky one.

"Weeks? How many? One? Two?" She slowly pulled her legs up to her chest, hugging them to herself. She didn't want to lay back down, what if she fell back into whatever comatose state she was in before? Would she lose another week? Month?

"Three," he bit the inside of his cheek, knowing she was going to flip out again.

"_Three. Weeks." _She tested the words on her tongue, unable to believe such rubbish. If she had been out that long they probably would have just ditched her on the side of the road.

"Yeah." His hand instinctively settled on her knee, trying to alleviate some of the stress.

"That's impossible. Did you guys carry me around til we got here?" She motioned around the room, "where is here anyway?"

"We're in a prison..." he drew in a deep breath in preparation for the shit to hit the fan.

"A prison? You're joking, right?"

"Not really?" He rubbed the back of his neck, looking all around the cell. "You can't tell this is prison?"

"YES." She slid out the bed faster than he could stop her and using the wall as a support she started to make her way out. Her legs felt like jelly from lack of use the past few weeks, but she pushed through it to investigate. She held her place standing in the middle of the doorway, holding onto the wall on one side and the bars on the other. Taylor peeked out and then retracted quickly when she saw faces she didn't recognize, shuffling back to the bed to sit down.

"Who are those people?"

"Axel and Oscar, they were already here when we got in." Daryl swallowed hard. "I have to tell you some other things."

"What?" His darting eyes and the lowered tone of voice worried her, was everyone okay? Maggie? Beth? Rick?

"We lost a few people." She inhaled sharply and cupped her hands around her mouth, not speaking, just patiently waiting for him to tell her the causality list. When she had first realized they moved from the farmhouse she had a sinking, gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach that not everyone made it. Hell, she was surprised _she _was still alive after being in a mini-coma during a move.

"Some of your uncles people, Otis and Patricia. Jacqui, T-Dog, Andrea, Jenner..." he listed them off one by one, her heart sinking with each name.

"Oh my god," she shook her head in disbelief not wanting to believe anything that he was saying. T-Dog and Jacqui were people she had known since she first joined the camp, always giving her welcoming smiles and being nothing but genuinely nice to her. She clutched her hand to her heart, saddened for their loss. She felt her uncle and cousins pain for the family friends loss as well, she didn't know them but they were also nothing but kind.

"Andrea?" She felt a ping of guilt for how they had left things off, getting in a fight and saying nasty things. Daryl figured the remorseful tone in her voice wouldn't be there had she known how hard Andrea fought to kill her before they left the farm. He considered telling her but decided it against, she was gone and there was no point in starting up trouble.

"Lost her at the farm. No one could find her." He watched her carefully trying to assess what she was thinking.

"Oh..." Taylor nodded slowly as her mind made an attempt to wrap around everything he had told her. The farm was long gone, they were living in prison, they had lost so many people, they were living with _criminals_. It was almost too much to take in at once. "Is there an outside to go to? I need some air."

"Yeah," He stood up quickly, standing next to her habitually waiting for her to fall.

"I'm fine." She used her hand to press some space between them, feeling overwhelmed and suffocated all at once. He nodded in understanding, squeezing by her to lead her out to the field that they had taken days to clear out.

* * *

"I have a confession to make." Lori swayed against the fence, her fists clutching tightly to the chain-link fence. Shane peered over at her clearly worried, she had been acting weird since they first arrived at the prison and each day seemed to get worse and worse. He wasn't sure if it was the pregnancy and the hormones or what, but he didn't like it. He didn't like the lost, sometimes terrifying look in her eyes or her somewhat bi-polar fits that she'd been suffering from. It was like she _was _bi-polar, or schizophrenic, something that just wasn't right. But she was the love of his life and he would never peg her to be crazy, he couldn't.

"What's up?" He walked behind her and rested his head on her shoulder to try and console her. Maybe if he was more attentive she would stop with her emotional fits.

"I... I did something bad." She gulped hard, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"Lor..." he pulled back, standing next to her now with distressed eyes, an uneasy feeling taking over his whole frame. Shane was used to being the one that made rash, bad decisions, not his Lori.

"I just... I don't know what I was thinking." The brunette paused briefly, clutching tighter to the metal in her hands. She watched the walkers slowly crawl by on the outside fences. "I was so mad at Rick for some reason. I don't even remember why. But I... the one night I cooked dinner."

"Go 'head." She had stopped too long, trying to go back on the admission, he wouldn't let her though, now that she'd started he needed to hear it.

"I put rat poison in his food." The tears brimmed over her eyes, falling in slow trails down her face. "I'm... sorry! I don't know why... I don't know _what _made me do it, but I just did. I was so _damn _mad at him." She took shallow breathes, the simple act of breathing becoming harder with the sobbing.

"Rick's fine?" He looked slowly over at her, his face contorting in shock. "How _much _did you put in there Lor?"

"A-a lot. Half a bottle?" She shook her head vigorously. "I don't remember. It was like a black out. But... the plates-"

"Taylor?" He let out a deep sigh. "You gave the plate to Taylor?"

"It wasn't on purpose!" She shouted, defending herself, not sure if she should have even told Shane to begin with. "I still don't know why I did it to Rick."

"Lori, this isn't right. It ain't normal." He set a gentle hand on her shoulder, he didn't want her to think he was accusing her of being crazy but after what she'd told him he didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry." She wiped the tears away from her face. "She almost died, didn't she?" Lori inhaled deeply now, trying to regain control of herself. "It would have been Rick that almost died." Shane nodded solemnly, unsure of what to say anymore. What could he really say when his beautiful wife that was pregnant with his beautiful child was telling him such awful things?

"It'll be fine." He placed a gentle kiss on her temple, holding her close to him in a strong hug. "She's fine. Everything will be fine." He placed his head closer to her ear, "no one will know."

Shane's mind reeled with the new information, it wasn't just the pregnancy, there was something wrong with her. Something seriously wrong, she was loosing it and could potentially hurt more people in their group but he just couldn't bring himself to tell anyone. Especially not Rick. There was no way anyone was going to find out Lori had tried to kill Rick and _almost _Taylor in the process. He sighed and let his hand fall to her stomach and rubbing it softly.

No one was going to find out.

* * *

"It's been bad?" Taylor laid down on the top row of the bleachers, looking out into the field surrounding the prison, it was crawling with snarling walkers. They leaned against the fence, their faces pressing desperately in a futile attempt to get at the flesh they could smell so far away, yet so close.

"What?" Daryl sat up, they had been sitting in silence since they first got out there. Taylor not saying a word but him not wanting to leave her after just waking up from near death.

"Since leaving the farm. It's been bad, hasn't it?" She leaned her head back to its initial position, staring up at the sky with its parted clouds and sun shining down on them both. It was too beautiful of a day to be the apocalypse.

"Yeah... pretty rough." He let out a sigh from deep within himself, thinking back to their travel here, the lack of food, the intense number of walkers, it was really a blessing in disguise that they had even found the prison. They had all been running on empty by the time it showed up in their vision.

"Why didn't you guys kill me?" She sat up, looking down at him two rows away.

"What?" His eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment, he felt like it had to have been a trick question.

"If I was that sick, and everyone thought I turned-"

"How did ya know that?" He interrupted her without intentions of doing so. He didn't recall telling her that her own Uncle thought she was going to be a walker and Andrea was all about putting a bullet in her head.

"I heard bits and pieces. I remember some things." She ran her hand through her hair, pushing it away from her face. "You guys thought I was going to turn... so why didn't you kill me?"

"I didn't think ya were gonna turn." He whispered, avoiding her stare now.

"Yes you did." She said sternly, wanting him to just admit it.

"I wouldn't let 'em." He finally said, in more of musing to himself tone then really answering her. She could barely hear him, but knew what he had said. Taylor left it at that, not wanting to prod anymore, she knew one more forceful prying question would drive him away. When it came to any type of emotion she always felt like she was walking on broken glass with him and was starting to learn the limits.

Taylor heard the rattling of the chain link fence and spun around, letting her legs dangle over the ledge of the metal bleachers beneath her. Her eyebrows popped up in curiosity not able to recognize the face that she found leaning against the fence. The African-American woman stood with her back to them, facing towards the fence and looking out into the distance as if she was looking for something specific, not the walkers clawing at the fences below them.

"Whose that?" Her eyes drifted back to Daryl who shrugged his shoulders lightly in response.

"Name's Michonne." He slid off the end of the bleachers and went over to stand near her. "Found us a week ago."

"Found us?" She jumped off and dusted herself off, keeping her eyes on the strange woman.

"She showed up here, spinnin' some tale of a crazy Governor or some shit." He shrugged a second time to show he wasn't sure how much he believed anything she had told them.

"Governor?" Taylor practically felt her body jolt, a small gasp escaping her lips. She hadn't meant to show such a reaction but just hearing Merle's words echo through her head made her legs feel like jelly. "She said _Governor_?" She repeated herself again, making sure she was hearing him correctly.

"Yeah..." he looked her up and down before glancing over at Michonne. "Ya know somethin' I don't?" Before he could get an answer out of her she had already taken off to where Michonne stood by herself, she jogged up to her, slowing down the pace when she was a few feet away.

"Michonne?" Taylor called, waiting for her to turn around before asking the question she was dying to.

"That's my name," the ravenette almost whispered. Her voice was a low murmur and if one wasn't listening closely, they probably wouldn't even hear her.

"I have a question for you." She got closer, closing the large gap between them so spying ears wouldn't be able to hear. Michonne nodded slowly, letting Taylor proceed. "You met the Governor?"

"You know him?" She asked slowly, a look of shock registering on her face for only a second before being wiped away with a scowl. "How?"

"I don't know him, I was warned about him." She dropped her voice to a whisper now, "did he have any other men with him?"

"He's gotta lot of bodyguards." She let go of the fence and faced Taylor fully now. "A Hispanic guy, Martinez I think. A one handed guy, Merle I think it was?"

"Merle's really _there_? He was serious?" Her jaw went slack for a second, trying to grasp everything that was happening. He wasn't bluffing after all, and if he was right the Governor would still be after them. The farm was gone but Merle had said he wanted to kill them, would that still be true? And of course he was bound to still be looking for Daryl.

"Merle? Ya've seen Merle?" Daryl's eyes looked desperate, like a pleading child. He interjected himself into the conversation. He looked between the two woman with an irritated glance when neither answered.

"He's with the Governor." Michonne said deliberately. "You know him?"

"He's my brother." He stepped between them, taking Taylor by the shoulders. "You knew about Merle? The whole time?" She tried to look him in the eyes but found herself unable to, the guilt rushing through her and crashing like waves. She had never seen such a hateful look in his eyes, especially directed at her, she almost wanted to cry.

"I... I saw him?"

"When?" His grip tightened, the old familiar feeling of rage starting to seep into his veins. When he was met with silence he shook her slightly. "_When _Taylor?"

"A-awhile ago. At the strip mall, in the warehouse part of that store-"

"What did he say?" Daryl was starting to lose his grip on his temper, every word coming out of her mouth making it slip away further from his reach.

"That the Governor was coming for us. That he was coming for you." He took slow, forceful steps, making her move with him from his hold on her shoulders. He walked until she was pinned against the fence.

"How the hell could ya keep that from me, Tay?" His breath hitched in his throat and with the compulsion to lash out he spoke in a near deadly tone. "My damn brother..." He let his hands go and let Taylor fall into the fence in their wake.

Michonne stepped between them giving Daryl a hard look before placing her hand on Taylor's shoulder as she stood straight up, adjusting herself from the shove. He scoffed and shook his head at her before walking away, muttering to himself the whole way. Taylor felt her eyes sting with tears, she couldn't fathom that he had just reacted that way, he had never treated her like that. Even when they would be in screaming matches, he never laid a hand on her. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands.

"You okay?" Michonne's quiet voice pulled her from the temporary stupor she had fallen into. Her little nod let her now she wasn't injured physically, only emotional damage.

She sighed and rose an eyebrow slowly. "Tell me all about the Governor."

* * *

"You want some soup?" Carol stood up from her seat at the large metal table in the middle of the room. Taylor shook her head and sent her a weak half-smile.

"No, thanks though."

"Your uncle wants you to eat. Says you'll need some strength." Carol offered the bowl again, a small smile on her face. "He wants to check you out now that you're up too."

"It's okay, really." She shook her head and waved her hands in front of herself. "Thank you though Carol, really." The corner of Carol's lip twitched and she nodded in understanding. A small peep from behind her made her set the bowl down .

"I'll have seconds!" Carl called, a wide grin forming on his face when Carol gave him Taylor's unwanted bowl.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Shane's voice startled her, coming from nowhere. She spun around on her heels and knitted her eyebrows together.

"Sure." She followed him over to the quieter corner of the room. He looked her up and down and smiled faintly.

"You're feeling better?" Taylor shrugged, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders as she did so. "Walking around and stuff?"

"Yeah, I feel okay, just a little light-headed and sore," she rubbed her arms for show. Shane's smile grew at her words and she internally wondered why he was so elated that she was on the rebound, it wasn't like they were close, or even friends for that matter. Something was strange but she couldn't exactly place her finger on it.

"That's good. Good."

"Is something wrong?" She folded her arms across her chest, reading his suddenly worried expression, like a child that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"No... why?" He ran a hand through his thick locks, trying to force a smile on.

"You're acting weird," she stated plainly.

"I'm not." Shane's defensive tone threw her for a loop, it wasn't like she had accused him of killing anyone.

"Um... you are?" She locked eyes with him, hard and steady. She could tell he was growing frustrated. "What the hell's wrong with you Shane?"

"I said nothing, drop it." He said through gritted teeth, he was growing tired of running in circles with her, and the more she prodded, the more he saw himself spilling about Lori's little crazy spell that had almost killed the girl in front of him.

"No." She unfolded her arms, dropping them to her waist and propping them on her hips, she knew talking back to Shane was never a good idea and it always ended in a stalemate argument.

"Are you back talking me?" His eyes narrowed on hers, expecting her to shut her mouth and walk away, but that didn't usually happen.

"Maybe." She replied smugly, her childish attitude making its triumphant return.

"Alright, fine. You just bought yourself a one way ticket to walker duty."

"Ugh." She started to walk away, turning briefly to ask one last parting question. "Whose on now?"

"Daryl." He flicked his hand at her, starting to walk back into the cell block.

"Oooooh big punishment." She suppressed the frown that threatened to form on her face, she knew he didn't know about their fight and wanted to get under his skin one last time. His urge to force his authority on her never went over well for either of them, even though she didn't exactly want to see Daryl at the moment, she didn't have to let Shane know that; in fact, she could play it off like it was the opposite of punishment.

"What?" He spun back around and waved his hand at her. "Forget it, don't go." He spit out quickly, realizing why she'd said that and what it a mistake it would be to send them to the guard tower together. He already had to deal with Maggie and Glenn's shenanigans, he didn't need theirs too.

"Too late, boss man."

* * *

"Hey." She knocked softly on the wall beside the vacant door, startling him for just a moment. He lowered the sniper rifle and set it on the ground beside him, trying to not turn around and look at her, knowing she would look like an abused puppy. The sad eyes, the hurt look from him lashing out at her. But he wasn't ready to apologize, hell he _never _apologized so he surely wasn't ready to do it now. She sighed at the fact that he was ignoring her, but understood where his anger was coming from. She couldn't say she understood or accepted the way he'd gotten physical with her, but the animosity from keeping such a secret from him.

"I'm sorry." She finally blurted out, leaning against the door frame lazily. She rolled her eyes when he still didn't make a move to look at her or even acknowledge her presence. Taylor decided to continue on, "I should have told you. But... he... he said he would take you back with him." She walked forward with soft steps, taking the seat next to him. "He said the Governor would kill the rest of us." Daryl snorted and used his foot to push the chair so it was facing towards the main gates.

"Ya think I woulda just let that happen?" He finally spoke, quietly and evenly.

"I don't know what I think, or was thinking." She pulled her hand up to her lips, biting on the nails in an old nervous habit that she'd thought she'd broken back in high school.

"Did he tell ya where he's stayin'?"

"No..." she let her eyes fall to the ground, taking her hand away. "But Michonne does." She waited a beat to speak again, leaning over to force his chair to face her. "She'll take us."

"Why would she do that?" He scoffed, rolling his eyes at her for turning his chair. Her stubbornness and occasional bravery with him that others lacked never ceased to amaze him. How was she even talking to him after what he'd done earlier? He tried to clear the thought from his mind when the new idea of getting his brother back intruded.

"She has a grudge against the Governor. He did some fucked up shit to her." She bit the inside of her lip thinking back to the awful things that Michonne had told her. In all honesty it frightened her, if she didn't believe Merle about the Governor coming to kill them she sure as hell did now. She was even more afraid for the other women in their prison group; he was a sick, sadistic, son of a bitch. Despite that, she knew what she was going to do, something stupid and irrational, but for him, she'd do anything.

"So she wants to kill him?"

"For her own reasons, but if everyone in our group wants to live..." she trailed off slowly before starting up again. "She said he likes to play games, deadly games. But she's ready if we are..." she stood up and got ready to leave the guard tower so he could be alone with his thoughts. He followed after her, grasping her forearm softly, afraid that she would retract from his earlier outburst.

"Sorry..." he mumbled, looking down at the floor. Her lips twisted up into a tiny half-smile. It wouldn't wash away the memory of the hatred in his eyes, the terror that constricted her heart at his forcefulness, but at the very least she knew he was sincerely sorry. Something that all the men in her past had never been.

"We're going to get your brother back." She propped herself up on her tip-toes and wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him gently on the lips, his hands instinctively falling to her hips. She glanced up into his icy blue eyes that were so much softer than earlier and whispered, "I promise you that."


	24. Where Are We Runnin?

Author's Note: Thanks Paper Grenade, JadedTinks, bigtimerushlover101, transf0rmer, and Lila-Renee. Seriously thank you guys sooo much for the nice reviews of the last chapter. I wish I could give all of you a pet unicorn! Or whatever you would prefer, a pet Daryl? YES. (Pet Merle for Lila-Renee ;D) Whew, this chapter took forever to come through, mostly because of health issues, but I digress. I truly hope you like it because we are finally on our way to Woodbury! After this, there will be plenty of action for Taylor and the gang.  
Enjoy! xoxo

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.  
****WHERE ARE WE RUNNIN'?**

"Ahhhh..." Taylor spun back around and started to push Daryl backwards, making him almost trip over his own feet and almost fall down the ladder.

"What the hell?" He narrowed his eyes at her glancing behind her but seeing no reason why he was being pushed away.

"You don't want to go in there."

"One 'a my good knives is in there. Move-" He tried to get past her, stepping right to left and back again with her movements stopping him every time. She finally held her hands up to chest level, shaking her head vigorously from side to side.

"Seriously Daryl. Don't." Taylor warned. She dropped her arms to the side in defeat when he used his strength to push her to the side. He came back out a few moments later with two screams following behind him. He gave her a wide-eyed look, shaking his head quickly and bolting past her. Taylor ran in the lone room of the guard tower and Daryl could hear her shout 'sorry' before returning. He stood at the bottom of the ladder, looking up at her with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. She climbed down and grabbed onto the side of it, taking her feet off and letting her hands slide along the metal like a fire pole. She swiftly jumped off three rungs high, handing his knife over with a wry smile. "You're welcome."

"Thanks," he smirked, glancing back up when he heard arguing and the door being slammed shut.

"Let's go." Taylor gave him a sideways glance before they both started to hurry off, Maggie hot on their trail. Neither one wanted to discuss the fact that they had walked in on them doing the deed, and Taylor was especially not in the mood to be reamed out by her cousin.

"Taylor!" Maggie called, jogging to catch up to them. She gave Daryl a curt nod and he could have sworn a death stare was accompanied with it. He stood a few feet behind the women, impatiently waiting for their preparation for Woodbury to continue. All he could think about was loading up the car and their weapons. Only one night of sleep, which he knew he probably would stay awake the entire time, stood between him and his brother.

"Yes?" She rose both eyebrows curiously, wondering if she was there to yell at her or for some other reason. Her question was quickly answered.

"I'm going with you guys."

"What?" The blonde shook her head, not wanting to even listen to her cousins explanation. There were already too many people going for her liking and she knew it would be dangerous, she couldn't live with herself if she had to return from Woodbury and tell her uncle and Beth that Maggie had died on her watch. "No way."

"_Yes _way. I'm going to help." Maggie clutched onto her shoulders tightly. "We're cousins, I'm here for you."

"This isn't your fight."

"No offense," the brunette peered over Taylor's shoulder at Daryl, who stood impatiently looking out onto the horizon. "But it's not your fight either. You shouldn't do this alone."

"Michonne is coming with us." She stepped out of her reach and gave her a sympathetic half-smile. "We'll be okay. I don't want you to get hurt. Stay."

"Glenn told me him, Rick, and Claire are going up a couple of hours after you guys as back up." She rose one eyebrow and a small smile crept onto her lips. "I'll go with them then. Maybe Glenn and I can make out in the backseat and then-"

"Okay, you can come with us!" Taylor held her hands over her ears and started to back away, sticking her tongue out. "Just don't ever make me picture that shit again."

"You guys loved it! Got you all hot and bothered!" Maggie called out to them, a fit of giggles following when the pair picked up to a jog to get away from her. "Don't do it in our garage!" She screamed out with her hands cupped over her mouth. Taylor's hand snuck around her back to flip her cousin off before heading back into the prison. Glenn stood next to her now with his hands on his hips, giving her a shrewd glare. He couldn't hide the small smirk on his face though.

"Think we freaked them out?" He pulled the hem of his shirt down, tugging up on his jeans so they covered properly again. Maggie followed suit and adjusted her clothes, realizing they weren't on correctly from being put on in such a haste.

"Nah, probably just made them jealous," she turned and stood on her tip-toes, her arms feverishly wrapping around his neck to crash their lips together. Glenn returned the favor with his own set of open-mouthed, hasty kisses, trailing some down her neck, eliciting a small moan from her.

"No," he shook his head at her and started to walk away.

"_Whyyyyy_," she whined, following after him with quick steps.

"We just got done, and just got _caught_, by your cousin no less." His head repeated its earlier action and promptly shook. "Doesn't it bother you that Daryl saw you naked?"

"No," she shrugged her shoulders casually. "Does it bother you?"

"YES, it does bother me that _both _of them saw me naked." Glenn's face contorted into disgust for a moment. Maggie frowned that he was so upset and distressed over something so menial.

"Taylor only saw your butt." She attempted to make him smile, but his frown creased further.

"That makes it so much better." Glenn chided, giving her a small smile for her efforts, he knew she was trying to make him feel better. Maggie was always just trying to make him happy, and that thought made the smile spread a little further.

"It should, you have a cute ass, she'll be jealous." Maggie chuckled as she spoke, unable to hold a straight face. He laughed along with her at that and turned to her, pulling her into his body.

"Shut up and kiss me."

* * *

"Hey Taylor, watch what I taught Bailey to do." Carl called over when he saw her come into the cell block. She stopped in her tracks and folded her arms over her chest, facing both the dog and the boy. Carl shaped his fingers and hand into a gun and pointed it at Bailey, a small smile on his face.

"Boom!" He called out, the dog falling onto the ground and laying motionless. Bailey stayed like that until they Carl began laughing wildly, the pup jumped up instantly, licking his face and running in excited circles around him. Taylor giggled too, giving him a thumbs up.

"That's awesome shortman." His grin broadened and he focused his attention back on the Bailey. Taylor started to walk backwards, watching him start to attempt to teach the dog a new trick, sitting on the ground and shouting 'sit' over and over again. She chuckled to herself and shook her head when the dog just stood in its place staring blankly into the child's eyes.

Taylor finally found her cell and walked in, her hand grazing the wall as she made her way over to the bed. She flopped down and laid on her back, staring up at the bed above her, it was still taking time to process everything, especially the fact that they were living in a damn prison. The thoughts of going to Woodbury loomed heavy over her thoughts, what if Merle wasn't there anymore? What if he didn't want to come with them? What if the Governor caught them? She couldn't keep her mind from reeling with all the bad ideas that were currently spinning in her brain.

"Ya okay?" Daryl's voice broke her from the deep concentration she found herself in. She titled her head up for the briefest of seconds and sent him a faint smile, then laid it back down.

"Of course." He crept over, placing his hands on the metal bars of the top bunk and leaning his weight inwards, looking down at her with concerned blue gems.

"If ya don't wanna go tomorrow-"

"I _do_," she hissed, rolling over on her side and propping her head up with her left hand.

"I just didn't want ya to feel like ya owed me." He said, almost sadly she noticed. She felt an unintentional giggle escape her lips.

"I don't feel like I owe _because_ I don't owe you, I repaid my life debt, remember?" She smirked and he sighed in defeat, plopping down on the bed next to her. "Plus, you shot me. So if anything, you owe me." The devilish smirk that tugged at her lips grew and he rolled his eyes with a small mocking scoff. He laid down beside her, and took up the same position as her, she flipped onto her stomach and crossed her arms in front of her, resting her head on them.

"I still feel bad for that." He watched her eyes close slowly and her body move slightly as her shoulders shrugged.

"Don't." He watched her body relax as she grew closer to sleep, her back moving up and down slowly with every breath. For a moment, he imagined what it would be like if she had been bit and he was lying in the bed by himself. He figured it wouldn't be much different, he was a natural loner after all, but the thought still made him cringe. "What are you thinking about?" Her voice was breathy and soft and he almost didn't catch her words, too engrossed in his own imaginary world.

"Hm?" He looked over at her, she had moved to face the wall without him even noticing. "Nothing. Just that... tomorrow when we go..." he reached his hand out but retracted it, not always being the biggest fan of affection. "Don't leave my side, okay?"

"Why?" She rolled back over now, laying the same way as him and looking into his eyes. He blinked dumbly at her for a few moments before stroking the side of her face with his thumb.

"'Cause this Governor asshole sounds like three shades of crazy. I don't want ya to get hurt again." She nodded slowly and he sighed, pulling his hand back. The more he thought about it the less he wanted her, no, _anyone _to go with him to Woodbury. He counted the seconds go by in his head and soon enough he heard her the soft breathes coming from next to him. He glanced over and saw she was asleep, he pulled the blanket up over her and gently lifted himself from the bed. Daryl stood in the doorway, hovering between the doorway, he looked back at her sleeping form and thought what he couldn't find himself able to say before, _cause I love you._

* * *

"Couldn't sleep?" Rick nodded towards Daryl who approached him on the moonlit pavement. Rick was leaning against the fence that had a large wooden pallet in front of it.

"Nah," Daryl bobbed his head from left to right, joining Rick and gripping onto the fence with one hand. He used his free hand to grab a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He slid one out and stuck it in his mouth, letting it hang while he fumbled to find the lighter. "Want one?" Daryl offered the pack to Rick who shrugged lightly before taking one for himself. They both took turns lighting them and Daryl returned the box and lighter back to their proper places.

"I didn't normally smoke," Rick commented casually, blowing out a steady stream of smoke.

"Social smoker?"

"Yeah, just when I went to the bar and stuff. Lori would of had my head if she ever caught me with one." They both blew out smoke in unison, watching it drift into the stale night air.

"Sounds about right, women always like to ruin the fun shit." Rick laughed along with him, knowing that he wasn't directly speaking about Lori, just women in general. He found it to be true anyway, girls had always brought him down when he wanted to do something dangerous or fun, Daryl chuckled being able to completely relate. Rick sucked in a deep breath.

"I gotta be honest about something."

"Shoot." Daryl glanced over at Rick who adjusted the gun over his shoulder.

"I don't like the idea of everyone going out tomorrow, to Woodbury, I mean..." Daryl blew out the smoke again slowly knowing exactly where Rick was headed with this. He turned to Rick fully and gave him a curt nod, agreeing with the plan he was proposing without so many words.

"Just me n' you?"

"Kinda," he let out his last swirl of smokey air and threw the butt to the ground, stomping it out with his boot. Daryl imitated his actions, also snubbing out the cigarette. "Leave Taylor and Maggie, take Michonne... she knows what she's doing. Less likely to get hurt, but-"

"I get it," he slipped his crossbow off his shoulder and held it in his hand, "let's go."

* * *

Taylor woke up with the light streaming through the barred windows of the prison. Her body jolted upright, instantly feeling a knot in her stomach, she knew something wasn't right. She slid out of the cell and slipped on jeans and a t-shirt, her boots coming last. Taylor pulled her hair out of the shirt as she made her way through the cell block, not having the time to do anything without walking in the process. She stopped short outside when she saw Shane and Lori huddled together and whispering on the bleachers.

"Have you guys seen Daryl?" They both gently shook their heads. Lori clutched her stomach, averting her eyes from Taylor's, but the blonde didn't have time to ask questions about their odd behavior. The last time she confronted Shane about it, it didn't end well, and frankly she wasn't up for round two.

"Okay, thanks..." she rolled her eyes as she spun around on her heels, looking for someone else to target. The knot in her stomach was growing heavier, the feeling of nausea washing over her in a wave as the feeling of already knowing where he was played in the back of her mind. The familiar click and scrap of a foot and crutch against the cement floor drew her to the noise. Taylor ran up to her uncle, her forehead creasing with her lips. It still shocked her to her core to see him without a foot, but thinking that it kept him alive made it slightly better; at least he was here with Beth, Maggie, and herself.

"Uncle Hershel," she whispered, when he stumbled, catching him and helping lean him against the wall.

"Just lost my footing," his weak smile made her heart break for him a little more. "I'm fine, dear." She smiled back at him, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes.

"I need to ask you something." Their eyes squared on each other, Hershel knowing the next words out of her mouth before she did. "Where's Daryl?"

"I can't say anything Taylor." He shifted his weight on the crutch, feeling guilty for keeping it a secret from her, but not wanting to tell from his promise with Rick and Daryl. They weren't stupid, they knew if Taylor found out she would try to come after them.

"Uncle Hershel," she felt herself automatically shift into pouting mode without even realizing it. "Please," she grabbed his wrist gently. "Please." Hershel's face fell at her desperate plea, but in the back of his mind he knew that no matter what he did or didn't tell her she was still going to go. She was a smart girl, something he couldn't credit his sister or brother-in-law for, but somehow she had pulled through the horrible part of her family and turned out good. A truly warm heart, smart, and willing to sacrifice anything for those she loved. He quickly discovered she also had a tendency to make rash decisions, acting first and thinking later.

He sighed, "him and Rick went to Woodbury without you." His eyes wavered slightly when her grip loosened and she turned to leave. "It was for good reasons, obvious reasons, that they wanted you to stay behind... do you not realize that?"

"Of course I do."

"Daryl told me he didn't want you to go anyway, so him and Rick would tackle this alone." He chased after her when she ignored his words and headed inside. "Taylor you can't go by yourself!"

"I'm not. I'll take Maggie-"

"I can't let you do that," he simply stated. He wouldn't let Maggie or Beth go, and he was going to try his hardest to not let his niece go either.

"Fine, whoever is willing to go."

"I'll go." Claire's voice came from behind them, startling them both slightly. Taylor watched as Claire came around the corner, playing with the ends of her long black hair. "I'm sorry, I kind of eavesdropped on your conversation. I'll go with you, to Woodbury, right?"

"Yeah," Taylor looked between Hershel and Claire. "You sure?"

"Definitely. I didn't want Rick to go to begin with, but now that I've noticed he's gone... I mean, I just put the pieces together that he went alone. I'm scared that he..." she frowned and the twirling of her hair became more furious, it was obvious that she was worried.

"He's with Daryl, they'll be fine." Taylor reassured her with a smile. "I just want to go for back up, just in case." She finished with a narrowed glance to her uncle, who threw his hands up in defeat.

"Claire's very good with a gun, I would feel a lot better if you at _least _one other person to go with you, but..." he sighed indignantly, "but I trust Claire completely." He gave a slight tilt of the head and hobbled off towards the cell block. Taylor figured he was going to forewarn Maggie about not going with her but shrugged it off.

"So what's the plan?" Claire tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, eyes widely looking up at Taylor to await the game plan that she rashly threw herself into. Subconsciously the blonde noticed her counterpart playing with her hair and began to braid her own.

"I wasn't a hundred percent sure-"

"I have an idea." Carl's small voice squeaked from below them, causing them both to back up and look down at him with inquisitive glances.

* * *

Half an hour and twenty walkers later they opened the large steel doors to the 'riot room'. The walls were lined with riot suits, helmets, bullet-proof vests, the whole nine yards. In a locker near by was another wall of guns, some were missing, for obvious reasons, but there were still a decent amount there. Carl got busy rifling through extra ammo, tear gas grenades, and smoke grenades, packing them all into a bag for the girls. As Taylor and Claire filled up a duffel bag with two of the suits and guns, Carl stepped over and handed the brown sack to them with a large grin plastered on his face.

"Listen," he started, peering between the two, "I don't think it's a good idea for two girls to go on this mission alone... you need a man." The two girls burst into a fit of giggles, stopping abruptly when Carl's face fell.

"Awwh," Claire cooed, patting his head sympathetically. "That's really nice of you Carl, but I think your dad would kill us."

"No he wouldn't! He would want you guys to have me around, I'm a really good shot." He practically whined, letting his hand fall automatically to the pistol holstered to his hip.

"Shortman," Taylor got down to his level giving him a small, understanding smile. "I know you really want to help, _but _I think we got this. We're just going as back up anyway."

"Then why do you need all the weapons?" He asked skeptically, one eyebrow raising as he spoke.

"In our defense, you were the one that brought us here." Claire ruffled his brown locks again before sliding the straps onto her shoulders. "But it would never hurt to be prepared."

"Right." Taylor slung the duffel bag across her chest and back, starting to leave the room. "Not to mention, they need you here to protect them. Shane can only do so much."

Carl nodded now with a bright grin, it was true, he could definitely help Shane protect the prison and all the people within it. He spun around and shut the doors tightly, pulling his flashlight and pistol back out to lead them back to the cell block.

* * *

"How did you...?" Taylor glanced around to the backseat where Maggie sat smiling with her sniper rifle sitting neatly on her lap.

"Ahh, my dad's a pushover, it didn't take long to talk him into it." She shrugged nonchalantly, showing that it was a piece of cake. Taylor eyes shifted to the snarling girl next to her cousin.

"And you are just coming for... what? Moral support?"

"To be helpful, of course." Cassidy glared up at her, a soft, fake smile slowly taking its place.

"_Right_." Claire gave Taylor a quick unconvinced look before strapping her seat belt. All four belts clicked in unison before Taylor revved the engine to life. She turned to Claire again with an anxious grin, "let's do this."


	25. Monster

****Author's Note: Thank you Lila-Renee, RedAlyk, and ReadWriteLove715 for your reviews. I'm sure I've said this a million times but they just push me to get chapters out sooner. They also force me to try even harder to make the chapters better. I've run out of things to virtually give you guys, well, except this new chapter(; Hope you guys like it!  
Enjoy, xoxo

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.  
****MONSTER.**

"You're kidding, right?" Taylor let out an exasperated sigh, leaning against the hood of the car. Maggie slid out from the undercarriage and tried her best to shrug her shoulders, the pavement below her making it difficult.

"There's a leak in the gas line. That's why the engine keeps stalling." She gripped the shell of the car and scooted herself back under.

"So we're out of gas, in the middle of fucking nowhere?" Her arms stretched out around her, displaying the empty, endless road and fields around them.

"Spare us the theatrics," Cassidy chided with a roll of the eyes before climbing into the back seat and slamming the car door behind her.

"I really don't like her." Claire whispered, facing her back to the car.

"I don't think any of us do." Taylor replied with a small smile. She ducked down and bent herself until she could see her cousin still working on the line. "How much longer?"

"Who the hell knows? I don't have the right tools." Maggie let out a frustrated grunt.

"I didn't even know you knew about cars." The blonde stood up again, sitting on the hood of the car now. Claire followed her lead and sat next to her.

"Living in the farmlands you pick stuff up." The dismayed voice of the brunette called up to them.

"So..." after a long moment of awkward silence and grunts and groans from Maggie, Claire turned to Taylor. She began wringing her wrists nervously. "I have a question for you, and feel free to not answer, because I'm sure you're still not comfortable talking about it-"

"Claire," Taylor held her hand up with a smirk at the ravenette's nervous babbling, "just ask."

"Okay well... I know we're not like good friends or anything, barely acquaintances," she mused before continuing, "but I figured you know a lot about Rick. I mean, since you guys had sexual relations-" Taylor busted out laughing causing Claire to abruptly stop mid-sentence, but she couldn't help it. She didn't believe the myth of farm girls being so sheltered was true. She knew Maggie had escaped that a long time ago.

"I'm sorry," she held her hands up apologetically, "but what are we, fourteen?"

"Sorry, I just, I know it's awkward."

"It's _fine_, Rick and I are way past that. Just ask whatever you need to," she set her hand on Claire's shoulder lightly. "And I'll try to answer in the least possible awkward way." Claire began to tug at the ends of her hair which she seemed to do when agitated, but smiled anyway.

"I need to deter the sexual tension between us... because it's crazy." Claire's eyes pleaded with her to not mock her for the silly question she knew she was asking.

"Oh... okay. Um, have sex with him?"

"No!" She shrieked, "it's too soon. I don't want to rush things with him and ruin it."

"No offense Claire, but none of us really have a whole lot of guaranteed time lying around. Go ahead, be spontaneous. It's _Rick _for crying out loud. If things didn't work out, he wouldn't' try to humiliate you or anything." She rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, _Jesus, I would know._

"I know, I know. I just... I'm not... I don't know, ready? When we're alone, what can I talk about to avoid it?" Claire was obviously taking the whole thing seriously, and Taylor felt bad for joking about it, but she didn't want her new-found friend to feel bad about the whole situation.

"Ummm, oh! Ask him about his penis." She grinned over at her, Claire shoving her shoulder lightly as the words came out.

"Shut up!"

"Okay, okay," Taylor stopped giggling long enough to take a deep breath and talk again. She went around the back to the trunk, popping it and taking the backpack with a few guns and smoke grenades in it. She slid it onto her shoulders and walked around to the side Maggie's legs were sticking out from. "I'm gonna walk back to the town."

"What?"

"I'm going to that town that was like a mile back. There was a garage, I'll grab a toolbox." She patted the metal of the car, a loud _clink clink _following.

"Fine... but..." she popped her head out, "take Claire with you. We should use the buddy system."

"Okay, we are officially fourteen years old." She rolled her eyes before signaling with her hand for Claire to come over. She dropped her voice to a whisper, "good luck with Cassidy." Maggie shook her head and mouthed 'fuck off' before crawling back under the car.

The two began walking down the road, getting a good distance before Taylor decided to pick up their conversation again.

"Alright, next time you guys are alone, try this-" Her words fell flat when a large, tan truck roared towards them. It came to a screeching halt just a few feet in front of their car, Maggie sliding out quickly when the noise startled her. Taylor's mind acted quickly, forcing her feet to run up the hill, pulling Claire with her. They both peered around the tree, watching the scene unfold carefully.

Maggie jumped to her feet, Cassidy slowly making her way out of the backseat. They both drew their guns, waiting for the driver to get out. Two boots fell simultaneously to the pavement, his well dressed frame slowly coming into view. The man slammed the door shut, grinning broadly at the two girls.

"Hello, ladies." His smile grew as his three passengers piled out of the car. Taylor's heart dropped as the last man made it out. _Merle?_ If Merle was still there with them, then where the hell were Daryl, Michonne, and Rick?

"Who the hell are you?" Maggie shouted, cocking her gun and taking a few steps closer.

"Whoa, whoa!" The Governor held his hands up in the air as a sign of surrender before waving behind him for his men to drop their guns. All three did so obediently. Taylor only recognized Merle, the African American and Hispanic not seeming familiar at all. But she knew the leader, that eye patch, the _smoothness _that just seemed to roll off him. It had to be the Governor. She knew Maggie and Cassidy had to play their cards carefully now. They were outnumbered and had a psychopath staring them down.

"We mean you no harm," his smile turned crooked, and for a moment he seemed trustworthy; but Michonne had warned Taylor to not take the bait if she was unfortunate enough to come into contact with him. It made everything even worse that Taylor had never passed the warning onto Maggie, she figured she'd tackle that when they got closer to Woodbury. The decision certainly came back to bite her in the ass.

"Yeah sure," Maggie scoffed, still taking steps closer.

_Maggie, stop. _Taylor's eyes hardened as she tried her best to convey a subliminal message to her cousin who was in the dark about the situation.

"We can't trust these people," she whispered harshly to Cassidy. Her counterpart rolled her shoulders, keeping her eyes locked on the people in front of them.

"_I know. _That's why we can't go waving our guns at them, play it cool," her voice dropped even lower as her gun slowly fell, "they have us outnumbered."

"Well I'm not dealing with this shit!" Maggie charged forward only to have the quick hands of Martinez knock the gun away and grab both of her arms, locking them tightly behind her back. Shumpert didn't get the same fight from Cassidy, she handed the gun over and let him lead her to the truck with little protest. Maggie kicked and screamed the whole way until the Governor's fist connected with the side of her face, knocking her unconscious. Taylor bounded forward, seeing nothing but red at that moment. Luckily Claire had predicted this and held her back, keeping their hiding under cover.

"You can't go out there." Her voice was quiet, but a stern undertone to it. They couldn't be noticed lest they end up in that truck as well. Who the hell knew where Rick, Daryl, and Michonne where at this point to save them.

"They have Maggie!" Taylor whisper-shouted, shrugging roughly out of Claire's hands.

"Keep it together," Claire's eyes had the same harsh tone as her voice, "or we'll get captured too. " She nodded slowly, carefully coming to terms with the situation at hand.

"Let them go, we'll follow them."

"With what car? Ours is broken, remember?"

"We'll walk. We can follow the road." She peered over Taylor's shoulder with a defeated huff. The blonde noticed her staring and turned slightly to see what was bothering Claire. Merle and Martinez were cleaning their car out, taking all the weapons out of their trunk.

"Damn." Taylor shrugged her shoulders to signal at the knapsack, "at least we have these."

"Better than nothing." Both girls watched as they made off with their food, water, weapons, and group members, driving off back to Woodbury in a rush.

* * *

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Claire let out a sigh of relief. "Why did it take so long to get here?" She glanced around the tree, spotting the gates of the town, two familiar faces standing guard on top.

"Because you stopped every five minutes to bitch about it taking so long," Taylor replied with a small smirk. She let the bag slide off her shoulders to the ground with a plop. She rifled through it and handed Claire two guns, keeping two for herself. She pulled out a knife and strapped it to her boot, Claire giving her a side glance at this.

"You use knives?"

"I have to be good at something," she told her quietly when she noticed the spotlight creeping towards them. They both held their breath as it passed them and shut back off.

"You're no good with guns?" Claire's gray eyes widened, "I gotta be honest... that doesn't make me feel any better about this."

"I'm not _awful_." Taylor scoffed at the stab to her pride. "I just have always been better with knives, I hounded Daryl until he started helping me practice to get even better."

"It doesn't sound useful..." Claire's eyes guided back up to the men standing guard, Taylor's eyes following slowly after.

"I bet I could throw this and hit one of them square in the forehead."

"Oh please," Claire secured her guns and looked back at her partner with a tiny smile. "Prove it."

"No..." she sighed and strapped her guns in as well, keeping the smoke grenades in her bag before putting it back on her shoulders. "Because that would be stupid. Let's make that a rule, don't do anything stupid."

"Of course," Claire smiled wickedly before taking off towards the opposite side of the gate, the blinding light flashing on quickly and trailing after her.

"Claire!" Taylor whispered as loud as possible, but keeping it quiet enough that the guards wouldn't hear her. She looked down at the ground, cursing under her breath. "That was pretty damn stupid..." Taylor was mentally going through the motions of being abandoned, terror that one of them would get captured, when something hit her. The guards were both gone, they had chased after Claire. So maybe Claire was a genius, a genius that gave her an opening to get into Woodbury undetected.

"Thank you dummy." She mumbled as she snuck up to the border, slipping through a break in the fence. It was painful due to the hole being small, her shirt and jeans got caught, ripping slightly in a few spots, a maroon liquid starting to bleed through her clothes. She didn't have time to worry about the bleeding though, the guards could be back any second. Like clockwork Merle rounded the corner with the one she thought Michonne had called Martinez. They dragged Claire, kicking and screaming just like Maggie, towards the center of the town.

"Shit," Taylor muttered, pressing herself against the building that was closest to the gate. Another one of the Governor's men climbed up to the spotlight, turning it on and scanning the woods before shutting it off and using the scope of his gun for another sweep of the area. Apparently he came up empty-handed because he sat back down in the chair and titled his hat over his eyes, probably sleeping.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, crushing her ribs and lungs in the process. She couldn't believe it, she was _in _Woodbury. She was also alone, it was starting to seem like an 'up the creek without a paddle' situation.

"Shumpert!" She jumped back against the wall again, trying to morph into the brick behind her. She watched as the man he called Shumpert jumped visibly in his seat, the hat falling to the floor. The Governor stood with his hands on his hips, looking as pissed as she imagined he could look, he had to know Claire wouldn't come alone. Like he was reading her mind he spoke authoritatively again, "keep an eye out there! Don't half-ass it, either. I mean, keep WATCH." He stormed away after finishing his scolding of his trooper. Shumpert said inaudible things under his breath before sitting back down and relaxing, apparently he didn't take the Governor's warning seriously. That must mean he knew he would be too preoccupied to check on him again; which was a good thing, right?

A nervous knot began to settle uncomfortably in her stomach. She tried to steady her shaky breathing, unable to focus on anything other than Maggie and Claire being tortured the way Michonne had described. As she slid behind the houses, she tried her best to follow the Governor's path. She was only able to see through the alleys between each house, making her have to turn to a sprint when he was getting too far away. She doubled over to catch her breath, watching as he went behind a tall, industrial looking building.

"What the...?" Taylor shook her head and crept around the last house, making a mad dash across the dark street to get on the Governor's trail again. Where was he going anyway? She was hoping dearly that he would lead her to all of her friends.

Across the way from the decaying building she saw a flash of two men, his guards? She pressed herself tightly against the dumpster extracting her knife from its sheath, inhaling and exhaling as slowly as possible to keep herself from fainting out of sheer terror. She dropped the knapsack next to her, she couldn't risk the extra weight if she truly had to run for her life. She stood up gradually, the two men's faces coming into the low light that the building was casting off. Her face broke into a huge grin, her arms automatically flying into the air to flag them down.

"Rick! Daryl-" Her calls were cut short when a body tackled her to the ground, shoving her behind the dumpster, forcing her to slam her head on the thick metal. Her knife flew out of her hand, sliding underneath the dumpster. She shook the blurry black spots away, looking up to see a smugly grinning face. Cassidy sat on top of her now, her gun pointed to her temple, her smirk growing wider as the fear flashed in Taylor's eyes.

"Cassidy?" She tried to back up but Cassidy clicked the trigger.

"Ah, ah, ah," she pressed the cold metal directly to her flesh, "wouldn't want me to blow away that pretty little head of yours, would you?"

"Why?" She managed to squeak out, the thought of her life ending taking her whole body over.

"Oh Taylor, poor, _naive_, Taylor. You took everybody from me! Rick, Daryl, Rob-"

"I fucking hate Rob!" She protested, "and _you _took Rick from _me_."

"Don't get sassy with me," she slapped her across the face, a bright red hand print taking its place. "I'm the one with the gun, remember?" She spat angrily. "Rob and Rick? Nothing to me, Daryl, not that much either, but... just seeing you like a heartbroken puppy... _that _made me happy."

"I never did anything to you," she struggled under her weight again, Cassidy was lean muscle, having a good twenty pounds on Taylor's small frame.

"Have you ever just met someone and instantly hated them?" _Yeah, you, _Taylor thought bitterly, but decided against saying it aloud. The girl had a point, she was the one with a gun pointed at her head. "Yeah well, you were one of them. And this is a dog eat dog world, you should have taken me out a long time ago." She saw her face fall with the realization, "of course you would never do that, would you? You and Rick are born from the same breed, _pathetic._ Always trying to _save _people. No... to live in this world you need to have that instinct, kill or be killed."

"How did you even get away from the Governor?" Taylor made a mental plan to try and buy herself some time, divert the attention until she could come up with a real plan. Cassidy seemed to love talking about herself anyway.

"Simple." Cassidy wiped her lips with her free, "I just gave the boys what they wanted."

"You're _disgusting." _

"Oh the saint Taylor has spoken! Like you've never done anything? Acting all high and mighty when we all know how it is. Good girls are bad girls that don't get caught. Who else in the group have you fucked? Glenn-"

"Just shoot me already, god." Taylor hadn't meant to say it, she was thinking it and it seemed to just slip out. She instantly regretted it.

"As you wish," her lips twisted up into a devious snarl, her finger only stopping short when both girls heard a growl from behind them. Cassidy twisted around and jumped up to her feet to kill the oncoming walker, giving Taylor enough time to snatch the knife from under the dumpster. After the walker was shot Cassidy turned back around and ran over, stepping on Taylor's wrist with her whole weight.

"Drop it!" She thought she heard a bone crack, and a sickening, almost Governor-like smile graced her lips. Taylor's hand went limp, letting the knife fall. Cassidy acted quickly to kick it away and far out of reach. She dropped to her knees, putting the gun back in its holster.

"I don't think I'll shoot you. I want something more personal." Taylor was too busy nursing her throbbing wrist to get away, she tried backing into the wall when Cassidy pranced, holding her down again, her hands wrapping around her throat. Her eyes went wide with excitement as Taylor struggled to claw at her face and hands, choking to get air into her lungs. The blonde tried to roll away for her knife, making Cassidy's hands clamp down harder like an angry pitbull. As her last few breaths rolled out, blood suddenly splattered her face.

Taylor sucked in deeply, sitting up against the wall and wiping her face with her free hand. She let out a few strangled breaths, pushing Cassidy's lifeless corpse away with her feet. She looked up to thank her savior and found herself laughing at the ridiculousness of it.

"Thanks..." her voice was quiet, still trying to recover after almost having the life strangled out of her. He extended his good hand, helping her to her feet with a smirk.

"No problem, liddle blondie."

* * *

"Whattaya mean 'e got caught?!" Merle was seething, up in Office Friendly's face. Michonne stepped between the two men with her fingers to her lips, reminding them that they needed to be quiet.

After he was done saving her life, Taylor lead Merle over to where she had seen Rick and Daryl. Unfortunately, only Rick and Michonne were found hiding in the shadows, Daryl nowhere in sight.

"It seemed like he did it on purpose," Michonne started, giving Merle a death glare when he tried to interrupt her. "We were getting chased by some of your friends, he let himself slow up, probably thinking if he got caught he'd be taken to you."

"Sounds like something he'd do," Taylor crossed her arms under her chest, annoyed that she'd come all this way, Merle was _right _here, and Daryl got his ass captured.

"Dumbass." Merle rolled his eyes and jerked his thumb towards Taylor, "means I saved tis bitch fer nothin'."

"Hey-" Rick stepped up to him, ready to defend her honor when she shook her head and placed a hand on Rick's shoulder.

"It's fine, I wouldn't expect anything less from him." She gave him a shrew stare, a small smile creeping on her lips... he had saved her life. "It's a compliment coming from him." Merle nodded in agreement, looking over his shoulders to keep watch for his fellow guards.

"What's the plan?" Michonne sheathed her sword, looking between her three counterparts.

"The Governor doesn't know Merle is with us..." Rick started, "let's keep it that way."

"What if I make a distraction? Then you guys could get in the building undetected."

"How?" Michonne was skeptical, giving her an unconvinced stare.

"I get caught... on purpose." She through the idea out, hoping they would go for it, but knowing the chances were slim. Rick scoffed and Michonne shook her head, the dreads flowing with it.

"Too risky." She whispered.

"No it's not. I make noise out here, they all come out, I run, they chase. Bam. You're in." She smiled triumphantly at her plan. "You guys can find the room they're in-"

"Wrongo." Merle interjected, putting his hand up to stop her from talking. "They're each in their own room. Daryl's prolly in a differnt one too."

"Okay, you guys get in and find them, take out the guards. I'll demand to see the Governor so he won't be a problem... I'm sure they'll oblige." Merle couldn't hold back a chuckle, looking her up and down.

"Yeah, he ain't gon' refuse you girl." His words made Rick feel slightly nauseous, and even more against this ridiculous plan she'd concocted.

"I don't like this. At all." Rick was putting his foot down, or trying to anyway, Merle wasn't really helping matters.

"Then it's settled, you three get them first. Then come for me. If we get separated afterwards, we'll meet back at the prison." Taylor ignored Rick's comment and handed him the knapsack of guns and smoke bombs. He gave her a sympathetic smile, wishing she wouldn't do this. This was not the way he liked to go about things and he considered her a good friend. She turned to Merle and her tone switched to serious, handing him a single smoke grenade.

"What's this fer?" He examined it closely, deducing that it was a smoke grenade.

"Just in case you get in a bind," she gave him a soft smile again. They may have not gotten along, but besides saving her ass, he was also Daryl's brother. And she promised Daryl to get him back. Her eyes narrowed now, "wait until the last possible second to release whoever you're holding."

"The girl wit tha black hair."

"Claire?" He nodded to show she was correct. "Okay, well hold Claire until Rick and Michonne get you. The Governor... his men... nobody can know you're leaving."

"Ya act like 'im a fuckin' idiot! I run this shit liddle blondie," he patted her head softly, causing her to roll her eyes at him. "Ya juss do what ya gotta do in there." After Michonne and Rick begrudgingly left to go to their positions by the doors, Merle gave her a stern look. "Don' let 'em git too close to ya." He snickered quietly and winked at her. "Baby brother won't be havin' none a' that."

"What-" Before she could even ask what he was talking about he was gone, a flash back into the factory through a side door. She watched closely from behind the tree, Merle nodded to a guard when the door opened and passed through without a problem. That was a good sign, they weren't questioning his disappearance. Taylor took a few deep breaths, keeping her eyes locked on Michonne for any type of signal for her to go. Rick's gun came out of its holster, Michonne's katana slid out of its sheath and her arm waved in the air. Taylor brushed the ends of the ponytail out of her face and took one last longing glance back to the woods, she could run. Run away from it all, and leave everyone to fend for themselves. But Cassidy was right, she was right, she was always trying to save people. She couldn't turn away, knowing that this probably wouldn't be easy.

Her legs were sprinting towards the front of the building before she could even comprehend it happening. She didn't remember when she stopped thinking and started running, she just did. She stood in front of the doors, whipping them open until two guards spotted her.

"Get her!" The one called to the other, both tripping over their feet to chase after her. _So far, so good, _she thought excitedly as she ran back towards the town, stopping for the briefest of seconds to pick her knife up by Cassidy's corpse. She glanced over her shoulder to see them after her, she still had time to run.

* * *

Rick and Michonne watched from behind the doors, peering around to see both guards following the plan exactly, chasing after Taylor far away from the building. They gave each other a quick nod before entering the doors, the hallways long and winding. Rick held his pistol square in front of him, ready to shoot at any sound. Michonne held her Katana close to her body, also on edge, every pour vibrating and ready to slice a body part. They turned a corner, then another, and another in what seemed like an endless cycle. In the backs of their minds they wandered if Taylor had been caught yet. That was the plan, but they hadn't discussed how long to take, something that now seemed important. They had climbed a set of stairs and turned down another hall when they heard a muffled whimper.

They exchanged a worried glance when they heard footsteps approaching from the room, both stealthily ducking into the first door beside them. They watched through a small crack as two of the henchmen began dragging Maggie towards the stairs.

"Boss said he wants her in _the room _the redneck too," neither Rick nor Michonne liked the way he said the words, panic filling them both. They could easily take out both of these men, but if the Governor didn't get her it would be an obvious red flag. They waited until the footfalls on the steps stopped echoing and tip-toed down them. They saw a flash of the men and Maggie go down another hallway, hot on their tails they mimicked their motions and went down the same one. Michonne peered around the corner and jumped back, pressed against the wall. She gave Rick a nod to take a glance of his own. He did so and came back abruptly. They shook their heads at each other, realizing this was going to be harder than expected. The three men stood outside the door, all holding machine guns and ready to kill looks on their faces.

* * *

Taylor was feeling pretty good, she had a decent lead on them. She kept running until her heart and lungs felt like they were going to explode. She gave one last glance to see them being left in the dust, only to turn around and see a figure blocking her path ahead, she wasn't sure what to do. Was it a walker? A person? She couldn't be sure but didn't have time to take chances, she stopped for half a second to aim her knife before throwing it with as much accuracy as the dim lighting would allow. She should have known she would miss.

Well, miss the head shot.

The person let out a bellowing, almost tribal yell as the knife pierced into their shoulder. The body stiffened, ripping the knife from their shoulder with a guttural cry, Taylor stood stalk. still too shocked to move. Before she could start to run again two pairs of strong arms wrapped around both of hers. She had been distracted for too long, they got her. She began to kick and scream wildly, trying to free herself from their iron grip. They dragged her forward to the person she had knifed. They dropped her in front of _him._

She looked up into the sinister, grinning face. A snotty, blonde _very _recognizable woman standing next to him with crossed arms and an equally sinister smile.

His arms gripped hers tightly, the eye that wasn't hidden behind the eye-patch flashed deviously. Taylor squirmed in his arms, trying desperately to get away from the horrific couple. This only made him happier. He looked down at his freshly bleeding wound, then back at her.

"Oh... we're going to have fun with you."


	26. Tortured Soul Asylum

Author's Note: I honestly didn't think I would make it this far in the story, but thank you to everyone who has supported it along the way! All the favorites, follows, and reviews have really helped me keep this story going. Thanks to any new favorites and follows, as well as the reviews of last chapter: isnotamusedsir, Lila-Renee, ReadWriteLove715, and AlantaPeach(: This is a whole of a crazy Governor and Andrea, so I'm hoping it will keep you on the edge of your seats !  
Enjoy xoxo

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.  
****TORTURED SOUL ASYLUM.**

Taylor pulled her hands up, trying to free them from the bindings they were forcefully tied with. Her hands were behind her back, weaved through the open gaps of the old, wooden chair. Her legs were tied to the bottoms as well. She couldn't help but wince as the wrist Cassidy injured began throbbing from the strain. She looked around the room only to realize she was alone, trying her hardest to get free, and causing herself more pain. She was still struggling when the iron door creaked open lazily. Her head shot up, staring into the face of pure evil. He smirked and walked carefully towards her, watching as she contorted herself in a desperate attempt to get away.

"Shhh, calm down now darlin'." He stepped directly in front of her, bending over with his hands on his knees so their eyes were squared.

"Screw you." She spat, grimacing as whatever she was bound with began to shred her skin. Her wrist ached terribly at the trauma all over again. He chuckled before glancing around to see the blood beginning to drip from her wrists.

"It wouldn't hurt so much if you would stop struggling." He stood up and sighed, holding his hand over the spot where her knife had struck him. "No point anyway," his lips turned up into a devilish smirk, "you ain't going anywhere."

Taylor stopped her pitiful writhing and sucked in deep breath, she wasn't as prepared for this as she initially thought. She had no idea if Rick and Michonne had even made it through with the plan, for all she knew, everyone was captured. She looked up now, trying to swallow the lump that grew in her throat, looking back at the patched up wound she had caused him.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"Oh dear," he laughed again, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "I had so many plans for you, but Andrea nixed them."

"_What_?" She couldn't stop the shocked gasp that escaped her. Andrea? That was the blonde she saw before! She had thought it was her, but how? Daryl had said she died at the farm- no... he said they lost her. _Oh god, this cannot be good._

"Don't look so surprised dear. I never said it was a good thing. She had something _much _better planned than me." He looked over at her when she sighed with defeat. If only he knew that wasn't why she was surprised, of course Andrea wasn't going to help her. His grin widened as he took her knife out, wiping the blade clean and pacing the room.

"You see, I wanted to physically torture you, so to speak... but Andrea said you've dealt with worse, and it probably wouldn't be much of an impact." He continued his feverish pacing across the room as he spoke. "So then I thought, maybe I could do some _other _form of physical torture," he let his eyes skate over her body before sighing indignantly, "but that wouldn't do either. I couldn't betray Andrea like that."

"I heard you already have," she whispered, clamping her mouth shut after. Where did that random courage come from? She was the one tied to a chair weaponless, not exactly a prime back-talking time.

"Oh," he let out a humorless chuckle, "Michonne? Not worth it."

"She got your eye?" Taylor smirked, still internally battling herself to the shut the hell up.

"Yes," he sneered, coming closer to her and holding the knife at her throat, his sadistic grin never leaving, "and you _stabbed _me. What kind of stupid bitch-"

"Phillip," Andrea cooed as she waltzed in, shutting the door quickly behind her. He stood up straight, walking over to her and swiftly planting a kiss on her lips. "I hope you didn't do anything while I was gone," she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Of course not, I was saving it all for you." Taylor's heart began to ram against her ribcage as it was beating in an out of rhythm, crazy pattern. She felt her mouth and throat go dry and Andrea took the gun from the Governor (or Phillips?) holster. She took her own out and held one in each hand, turning on her heels to give a sickly sweet, fake smile at Taylor.

"Andrea?" Her face coming into view was all the proof she needed, it was in fact, the very same Andrea. And she was alive. "But they said... you were-"

"Dead?" She practically shouted. "Yeah, those assholes left me for dead at the farm. But of course they took precious YOU. The half-dead girl, waiting to turn and eat their limbs," she sneered, the malevolence clear in her voice. "I'm surprised you're alive, quite frankly." She left a long pause for Taylor to sit and wonder how this was even happening. Suddenly, she spoke again, "has Phillip finished explaining what we have in store for you?" She titled her head to the side with a mock puppy dog pout. Taylor pushed herself against the back of the chair attempting to get away from Andrea and her freak boyfriend.

Taylor simply shook her head slowly, the fear finally beginning to truly settle in, making her throat constrict and unable to speak. If Rick and Michonne were going to save her, would they have waited this long?

"I decided on a little bit of mental play," she stated while twirling one of the guns on her finger. "What's that, you ask? Let me elaborate... instead of cutting you up, or shooting you, or anything fun like that, I decided to fuck with your mind."

"What?" She felt the fear intensify, what the hell did that mean? Her mind raced with all the possibilities that were open to them.

"Have you ever met someone that you just _despised_, for no reason at all?" _Yeah, you, _Taylor thought bitterly to herself, but bit back the urge to actually speak the words. She simply shrugged, letting Andrea continue. "Well, that's how I've always felt about you. I've dreamed of the day when I got to take you out. But now I realize, this is a much better plan. You're going to have to decide something for me."

The Governor stood in the background, leaning against the wall with the same creepy, smiling face that he'd worn since she knew him. Andrea sauntered over to the door, opening it a crack to call out to the guards.

"Bring number one in." She called, spinning around and pulling the door open dramatically. "Let us meet contestant numberrrrr one!" She laughed to herself before taking the prisoner out of his hands. Andrea walked them over, kicking behind their knees so they dropped to the floor, sitting execution style. There was a burlap bag over their head, making it hard to tell who it was in the dim light, but Taylor knew. She felt her blood run cold as The Governor ripped the bag off.

"Awwhhh," Andrea mock cooed, bending over and taking Maggie's face in her hands. The brunette jerked back trying to avoid her hands, but she had a gun at her hand and was in no position to put up a fight. "So, first we have your lovely cousin Maggie." Andrea's bitter-sweet voice flowed through the air, smacking Taylor in the face. Now she knew what they were playing at, they weren't going to hurt her, they were going to make her watch them hurt Maggie... but Andrea had said number one?

"Now, you can choose to save her, or sacrifice her for..." she ran back over to the door, her excitement over this twisted, sick game made Taylor feel like she was going to vomit. She glanced over to Maggie who had her head hung low, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on her. The blonde looked back over to where Andrea was dragging someone else in. "Or you can sacrifice her to save," she threw back her head and laughed as she tore the bag from his head, "your wonderful savior."

Taylor looked away, unable to watch this disturbing display of insanity. It was just a game to 'Phillip' and Andrea, they didn't care about any of their lives, they would gladly kill them all... she began to wonder if they were going to.

"Go fuck yourself, Andrea," he smirked, knowing she was going to get pissed off. She scoffed and before she could react, Phillip socked him in the face, _hard_. Daryl fell to the floor, his hands still tied behind his back to prevent him from doing anything else. Maggie's hands were freed, mostly because none of them thought she could do any real damage. Taylor hoped she would be able to prove them wrong at some point, hopefully before any of this got any more out of control.

"I suppose you'll keep your mouth shut from now on?" The Governor squatted near Daryl as he rolled over and spit blood onto the cement below them.

"You can fuck yourself too," he coughed up some more blood before the Governor clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, sighing and standing up. He kicked his in the ribs, more times than she could count, and Maggie began sobbing. Taylor had finally seen enough of this.

"STOP!" She shouted, her wrists starting to sting with numbness as she fought against the restraints again.

"Stop?" The Governor panted, backing up and wiping the sweat from his forehead. He let one foot fall in front of the other, taking delicate steps in her direction until he was in her face again; she quickly averted her eyes from him, turning her whole head away. "But we haven't even gotten to the fun part yet. Look at me darlin'." He put his hand on her face, cupping it and turning her to face him.

"Don't... touch... her," the Governor was amused by this, snorting at the injured man's hollow threatening tone. Taylor could hear Daryl's wheezing as he attempted to try and breathe normally again. The Governor had kicked him so many times, so hard, that he _felt _his chest and stomach bruising. His lungs burned as he spoke each word, but seeing the bastards hands on her ignited a new fire in him. Taylor watched in agony as a fresh set of bloody coughing set in, a large puddle forming beneath him.

"No, I'm sorry I'm finding it really hard to look at you because I want to bash your goddamn face in!" She leaned forward and spit in his face, a decision she would regret. The Governor smirked and wiped the saliva from his face. He pulled out her knife a second time, and slashed her across the cheek. As he retracted his hand for another go, Andrea stopped him.

"Phillip," she spoke evenly, bringing both his and Taylor's attention to her. She turned to the younger blonde, eyes locking on hers. "I would stop if I were you." Taylor could hear the click of a gun, she watched her pull Maggie to her feet. She bit her lip to prevent herself from crying, her wrists, her cheek, everything throbbed in sheer agony.

"Stay," she commanded.

"If you tell us which one to kill, nothing else needs to happen. All of this could stop now."

"I don't want you to kill anyone!" She was seething now, watching Andrea point the gun at her cousin. Andrea shot the gun, the bullet piercing Maggie's left arm, she screamed out in agony, falling to the floor and gripping her arm tightly.

"PLEASE, STOP!" Taylor's face was streaked with tears now, both her and Maggie's sobbing echoing through the room. She shook so hard the chair began to rock, the Governor nodding to Andrea to run over and hold her still.

Andrea bent down to whisper in her ear, "now watch what we're going to do to lover-boy." Taylor tried to look away, outright terror taking her whole body over. She could only imagine what they were going to do to Daryl, and she was helpless to save him. The Governor busied himself with more brunt kicks to his entire body, all the while a guard came into the room, the familiar raw growl flooding everyone's ears.

"No," she whispered, watching the guard bring a chained-up walker into the room. It's arms cut off, but teeth still in tact. The Governor picked up Daryl's bruised body and held him in place, his gun directly at his temple. Martinez fought for control with the walker, inching it closer to where the two men were standing. Taylor turned her head the opposite direction, unable to watch the gut-wrenching scene before her.

"You'll enjoy this, I promise," Andrea stood behind her and turned her head towards the walker. Maggie was still on the floor, squeezing the wound with one hand, fighting herself to not faint from blood loss. Daryl couldn't move, he had a gun to his head and a hungry biter making its way to him, a shrill moan coming from its decayed mouth. Taylor saw the horror on Maggie's face, could feel it on her own, but saw nothing on Daryl's. He stood emotionless, knowing there was no way out. She couldn't bare the thought of him dying, or of him becoming one of _them_.

"JUST KILL ME!" She finally shouted out, making the whole room go silent. Martinez halted in his tracks, forcing the walker to stop with him. The Governor's devious grin returned, Andrea giggled uncontrollably. They were obviously breaking her. The two malevolent beings exchanged a poisonous glance. "Jesus Andrea, this is between us," she whispered between strangled breaths from crying.

"No. Your time is up though," she left her post near Taylor and walked back over. Phillip forced Daryl back to his knees, as Andrea did the same for Maggie. She took both guns out, aiming one at Maggie's head and one at Daryl's. "No more distractions. Pick one, now."

"Please," Taylor pleaded, forcing her eyes to her own lap to avoid looking at the faces of those she loved most in this apocalyptic world. "Just please..."

"Tick tock Taylor," Andrea's wicked voice brought her attention back to the matter at hand. She slowly lifted her head, glancing between Daryl and Maggie, both had their eyes shut tightly. Daryl's eyes opened and he gave her a nod, a nod that said, 'save Maggie'. He peered over at Maggie as the tears flowed down her cheeks in a steady rhythm. But Taylor couldn't do it, she didn't have it in her heart to choose either of them, just herself, and for whatever reason, Andrea refused to accept that. She cocked both of the guns, the sound making Taylor flinch. The sound wasn't nearly as dramatic or loud as it is portrayed in movies, but it was enough to get her mouth moving again.

"I choose..." She inhaled deeply, she felt herself on the verge of spilling a name, what name she wasn't sure, just that there was a name on the tip of her tongue Before she could continue the room filled with a gray smoke. The sound of a smoke bomb hissing as the murky mist poured out into the room, making it hazy. Taylor let out a sigh of relief, though she wasn't saved, none of them were, it was a distraction at the least. She tried to squint to see through the room when she heard gunshots begin to ring through her ears.

"What the-" she felt a bullet whiz past her head, but she had been pulled out of the way. The wooden chair came crashing against the cement with a sickening thud, and it splintered into a million pieces. Taylor couldn't even figure out what was happening as she was pulled to her feet. She gave one last glance as she watched the walker get loose and corner Andrea. She couldn't see Maggie or Daryl and didn't have enough time to finish checking.

"Come on girly," the raspy southern accent flooded her ears and she shook her head quickly, motioning with her to her back. Her hands were still tied and she couldn't do a whole lot of anything. "Jesus, turn 'round!" He barked at her, making her spin around quickly. She felt his one hand on her shoulder as the other cut through the rope with ease.

"Merle?" She finally breathed as he began to lead her out of the hallway. She almost tripped over the two dead guards as she followed behind him. She shouted up to him when she realized there were a few people missing. "Where's Rick and Michonne? Claire?!"

They rounded a few corners until they were outside, Merle began shooting left and right when it dawned on Taylor that they were surrounded by walkers. Where had they all come from?

Merle shoved the gun he was using into her hand and pulled out another one. She helped him shoot one walker down after another, but they seemed to be endless. He continued to weave in and out of the alleys until they stopped to catch a quick breathe. Taylor was doubled over trying to fill her lungs again when he looked over at her.

"Claire found tha Governor's stash a' biters. She let 'em loose, said she'd meet us later." Merle found himself panting from their long run and having to fight off so many walkers.

"Where's everyone else?" Taylor pulled him off the wall and feverishly searched through the bag that was strapped to his back. She found the knife at the bottom and pulled it out, unsheathing it with a smile. She grabbed another small gun out since hers was completely drained of ammo.

"Don't know. Ya told everyone ta meet at tha prison though..." he watched her closely as she ran her hand through her blonde locks, she was obviously upset about losing everyone. "Let's juss go back, I'm sure they'll all be there." He was trying to comfort her and didn't even know why, it wasn't like they ever got along. He knew he had only saved her from Cassidy, and the Governor, for his baby brother. He was never told that there was anything between them, but he was no fool. He knew his brother like the back of his hand and he'd never seen him so protective over a girl before. Merle knew it was now his job to protect her, whether he thought she was a pain in the ass or not.

"Lemme see," he reached forward, letting his thumb hover over her cut cheek. "Ya need to clean that up-"

"Going somewhere?" Both Merle and Taylor whipped around at the sound of the maniacal laugh that followed the question. "Stay for awhile, we're not done playing."

"Stay back!" Taylor lifted her gun with both hands, having his head in direct sight.

"Merle," the Governor sounded hurt for a moment, "you're leaving us? For your brother and his whore?"

"_Whore?!" _Merle grabbed Taylor by the back of her shirt. He couldn't see any weapons on the Governor but he knew he had them somewhere. He was a clever, fiendish son-of-a-bitch, and it was clear he wanted Taylor dead. Merle knew he was setting her up for a trap.

"Less go liddle blondie." Merle warned, tugging on her shirt, causing her to take two clumsy steps back.

"Awh, stay! For the festivities!" Phillip took a single step forward before falling to the pavement with a deafening thud. The gunshot ran through the alleyway, Taylor had to shake her head to stop the ringing in her ears. She looked over at Merle who frowned as he lowered his gun. There. He had saved her, _again_. Daryl owed him big time.

* * *

"Keep up liddle blondie!" As they wandered through the woods that lay just outside Woodbury, Taylor was trying to keep from having a breakdown. She was desperately trying to convince herself that everyone was okay and they would all be back at the prison. As the thoughts protruded her mind of Daryl or Maggie, Rick, any of them dead, she felt anger bubble up inside her. Merle's constant nagging of 'keep up', 'you are too slow', and 'liddle blondie' made it even worse.

"Great," she swatted a branch out of her face, glaring at Merle as he continued to smirk at her, "now I'm stuck with just you."

"So what's tha problem?" He beamed her a grin, but it instantly fell when he saw the scowl on her face.

"The problem is, it's just us... the whole way back to the prison. It's not a short walk either." She let her eyes fall to the barren ground below her, squeezing them shut for just a moment to keep the tears at bay. "And I have a name."

"Ya ain't no picnic either there sunshine." He rolled his eyes when he noticed her frown deepen. "So, yer still mad at ole Merle, huh? Listen, _Taylor_," he emphasized her name to show he was, in fact, listening to her. "I think we started off on tha wrong foot-"

"If by the wrong foot you mean my first day at camp you took one look at me and said, and I quote, _where the hell did you find this dirty skank_?" Merle found himself frowning at the memory, he really hadn't given her even the slightest chance, then again, he never gave anyone a chance.

"Awe, come on... I didn't... I didn't know what ya'd gone through 'til later, when Daryl tol' me. I'm juss a natural asshole, I can't help it. Sorry for that though, t'was messed up." He gave her a delicate smile, it was the first time in a long time that he was being sincere. Probably the first time in over a decade that he'd said sorry; even longer since he'd said it and actually meant it. He'd come to discover that she wasn't that bad, a bit overdramatic for his taste, but hell that was all women.

"Sorry doesn't take back how I felt." She blinked back the tears, just wishing all this hell was over with and they were back at the prison.

"Look I'm apologizin', I don't do it often, never really... but I'm trynna reconcile." He stopped walking and waited a few beats for her to catch up to him, he even held a branch out of her way as she passed him.

"Why?" She looked over her shoulder, giving him a skeptical glance.

"'Cause of muh baby brother." He watched her closely as an uncomfortable silence hung over them, and they'd walked half a mile through the thick forest. He let her walk ahead of him after she had argued with him earlier that she was never allowed to be in the lead or in charge. And hell, he was in a pretty good mood so he just let her; he figured he might as well rack up some brownie points while he had the chance. He had no idea what had taken over him to want them to get along so bad, but he didn't really bother with the thought that long.

He studied her closer for a few moments, instantly noticing the pouty face she was wearing, the same one she probably used on the entire male species, his brother most likely getting the brunt of it. He cleared his throat loudly before speaking.

"I get it, ya know."

"Get what?" She shot back, still mad at him for... for what? For being nice to her? She didn't even know why she was angry at this point, but she couldn't shake her annoyance.

"Why baby brother likes ya. I mean, Dixon boys, we don't do love n' all that bullshit... but I get why he's hung up on ya." Her eyebrows arched at this, prodding him to continue. He could tell her interest was piqued by his words. "Yer not his type, by any means," he chuckled and she glared at him, making him fake cough to cover it. "It confuses me."

"What?" She found herself being baited by him, being dragged into the conversation, hook, line, and sinker. She didn't even care.

"'Sides that rack n' ass, maybe tha hair, he did always favor tha blondes at tha strip club- ow!" She socked him in the shoulder and he rubbed it softly, she could throw a mean punch, he would give her that. Merle's lips tugged into an arrogant smirk, "sorry, jellypuss. Anyway... other than that, yer far off base. Little miss princess ain't Daryl's thang."

"Gee thanks," she rolled her eyes before stalking off. Her interest in the subject quickly faded with the images of Daryl sticking money down other girls underwear. Not to mention the insults, they didn't help much either.

"Hey!" He jogged to keep up with her, walking at the same pace as she attempted to storm off. "I'm trynna figure thangs out here. Like I said, I get it. I don't do this often, n' if anyone asks I'll deny it, but yer beautiful as hell."

"Jesus Merle, you know how to make a girl's heart flutter," she replied sarcastically, with a touch of eye roll. She fanned herself with her hand and pushed him away gently. "I was under the impression hell wasn't beautiful."

"These are muh compliments sweetheart, take 'em or leave 'em." Merle grinned widely at her.

"You are just like your brother," she muttered, ducking under a low hanging branch.

"Hey now! I'm older... he's juss like me." She slowed her pace, actually allowing him to walk next to her, finally warming up to him. Merle Dixon may be an admitted asshole, but he wasn't so bad. Or maybe it was that damn Dixon charm, the one she knew had her wrapped around Daryl's finger. She couldn't be sure, but just as she thought they were getting along he lightly shoved her forwards.

"Get on liddle blondie! Yer suckin' up all muh oxygen!" Taylor rolled her eyes and trampled in the direction of the road they were nearing.

"So much for getting along," she mumbled under her breath. Merle smiled to himself, he couldn't be nice to her forever, he had a reputation to keep up, after all. He wouldn't allow anyone to think of him as a softy, and in his eyes, too much kindness made people think they could walk all over you. As she angrily made her way to the road he just laughed to himself, he would try to cheer her up later... much later.

"We shouldn't travel on the road," Merle called out to her, she was too far ahead for him to drag her away or he would have, he didn't mind using his physical prowess when necessary; and if she kept walking on the road and ignoring him, it was going to be necessary. He used his two fingers to use the high-pitched whistle people normally used to call dogs. Knowing that he was treating her like an animal she huffed and continued to march on, mumbling to herself as she went.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled to her, "YO! BLONDIE!" She finally came to a complete halt, whipping around to face him with an angry glower.

"What?" She folded her arms over her chest, the daggers she was sending him almost feeling as if they were actually scarring him. He shook his head at her and closed the gap between them.

"We need ta stay off tha road." She looked over his shoulder and saw all the cars lined up along the side of it, then it clicked. If they were on the road near Woodbury, the Governor's people, more than likely Andrea, if she was still alive, would be able to easily track them.

"Yeah... right..." she was about to step back into the woods when a voice made her stop, a voice that brought and instant smile to her face. Both Taylor and Merle turned to their left and spotted Rick and Michonne coming towards them.

"Rick!" She beamed, running up and slamming into him for a hug. He gripped her tightly, relieved to see she was still alive. She smiled at Michonne over his shoulder, the normally angry façade wiping off her face for just a moment to smile back at the excited blonde.

"I'm glad you're safe." Rick whispered, hugging her to him once more. His eyes scaled up to Merle, giving him an appreciative nod for keeping her alive. As much as he loved Taylor, he knew she would never have been able to survive by herself, it had to have been Merle's handiwork.

"You too," she smiled up at him, the moment melting them into a bubble that brought back memories from the past. She gulped hard and stepped back away from his reach when she felt Michonne and Merle's eyes on them. Merle raised a single eyebrow, wondering when Taylor and Officer Friendly had gotten so close.

Michonne shrugged carelessly and started to make her way back into the woods with the other three trailing behind her. They were on their way back to the prison, they were missing three people, but all they could do was hope that they would show up at the prison as well. Rick was wondering about Claire, Merle about Daryl, and Taylor about Maggie along with the former two. She felt as if she had a lot more worries weighing her down than the others. Too many people to worry about, too many thoughts of death crawling through her head.

"Have ya seen 'em?" Merle's thick drawl brought her out of the deep concentration she was trapped in. Rick shook his head sadly, knowing how much the next words would hurt both him and Taylor.

"We uh, we saw Daryl going at it with a few guards..." Taylor attempted to ignore his words, pretending that she didn't hear them. Pretending that he wasn't as good as dead.

"Maggie?"

"Didn't see her at all," Michonne said quietly from ahead of them. Taylor let out a frustrated sigh, letting herself trail enough to be in the back of the group. She couldn't help the images of Daryl and Maggie turning flash before her eyes. She felt like she had been punched straight in the gut, the air draining from her lungs. She held onto a tree for support, counting the seconds as they went by. All the voices swirled around her and the air seemed to thin, almost becoming nonexistent. She heard a snarl from behind her and a hand wrap around her shoulder. She spun around and let out a horrified scream. She backed up, falling to the dirty ground below her, and fumbled to find the knife she had reattached to her boot. The walker fell on top of her, grabbing at the delicious flesh it craved. Just as her hand wrapped around the knife the walker fell beside her, limp and lifeless a second time. Taylor began to inhale and exhale quickly, not believing what she thought she saw. She kicked the corpse away and sat up, tears forming in her eyes.

She found that when confronted with the fact that what she was seeing, was indeed real, all she could do was cry. The image before her was not a dream, and she sobbed for what seemed like an eternity.


	27. All You Need Is Love

Author's Note: Thank you guys soo much for the wonderful feedback of the last chapter: Isnotamusedsir, ReadWriteLove715, Lila-Renee, Pixie P, and guest. I'm not going to delete your review because you have every right to your opinion just like I have the right to portray Andrea however I want. You don't have to read it, no one is forcing you :) Anyway! Thanks to all the kind words from everyone else! *gives you all cupcakes*  
ReadWriteLove715: I hope you like your surprise!(:

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.  
****ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE.**

"Daryl?" Taylor's voice was small and strained from the tears that were staining her cheeks. A grin managed to break through as he nodded, proving that he wasn't a figment of her imagination like she'd initially suspected. "You're alive?" She gazed up at him with eyes wide and glossy as he towered over her, his hand offered with a smirk.

"'Course. Who the hell else is gonna save yer ass all the time?" She slowly reached out, grabbing his hand and letting him pull her off the filthy ground. He wiped away some of the stray tears. Much to her, and Merle's surprise, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Merle rose an eyebrow with a bemused smirk on his face; baby brother had gone soft. Of course he had already known that without the added proof of seeing it. He wasn't too thrilled about it either, but he couldn't deny that it was funny to watch him show some human emotion for once.

Taylor shoved him roughly away, causing everyone's eyebrows to raise in surprise. It was not often Daryl tried to be affectionate and for her to turn it away was even more rare.

She slapped him on the chest, shoving him further away with a scowl. "I thought you were dead! You scared the hell out of me!"

"I... what? What did ya want me to do, send smoke signals?"

"Shut up," she turned away from him, watching everyone quickly turn away to pretend like they weren't staring at the two fighting. It was futile as she could already tell by their obvious interest in the dirt and trees around them. The blonde honestly didn't know what had gotten into her, but after hearing Rick say he probably didn't make it she had been terrified. She should have just let it be a happy reunion, however she couldn't shake the thought of their future. She had been _so _scared, and she couldn't begin to imagine if she had to feel that everyday. Maybe that was why she didn't want to accept his return... she had a horrible, sinking feeling she'd be losing him again soon.

Everything had taken so much longer than expected, and the group of five ended up camping out deep in the woods on the far side of Woodbury. They were in much too far for The Governor's people to find them, with that in mind, they all laid down to sleep, except Daryl who volunteered to stay up for night watch.

Taylor found herself wrapping her arms across her body for warmth. The fire was nice and did a good job, but she had drifted far from it, ending up beside Daryl. She couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped her lips, she was still shocked that he was here again. Although she had tried to ignore his worrisome absence and Rick's solemn last sighting, she had indeed thought him to be dead; resorting to anger to cover up the dark thoughts that would not leave her mind. Now just the sight of him sent a chill up her spine, how did he even make it out by himself?

"Hey..." she found herself whispering even though the group was far away, sound asleep.

"Hey." He looked up from cleaning his crossbow, a habit that he had always carried with him when he was thinking too much. Taylor sat down next to him on the old, broken down log, causing him to glance up at her for a second.

They sat in a comfortable silence for at least fifteen minutes, letting the air settle between them as well as an unspoken apology. Taylor smiled over at him. "So, I know this is a question you'd usually get all pissy about and ignore me, but seeing that we both almost just died- do you think you could humor me?"

"Alright, shoot." He began to brace himself for the worst, who the hell knew what prodding question about his childhood, or past, she would ask. He would try not to get temperamental, but he had a feeling he was going to anyway.

"What's the corniest pick-up line you've used on a girl?"

"What?" He gaped at her, stunned as the question had caught him completely off guard. It wasn't nearly anything he was expecting. "I, uh, don't know? _Shit_. I don't even remember the last time I used one, probably since college." Taylor couldn't help but grin as she pictured Daryl as the same, handsome, emotionally awkward, slightly younger version of himself trying to pick up a girl. Her smile grew as she shut her eyes and the vision grow into him using some ridiculous pick-up line and then cursing himself for it. They let another small bout of silence hang over them until Taylor leaned forwards, her elbows resting on her knees.

"Use one on me."

"Taylor," he shook his head slightly, he knew this simple game to her could escalate into a _another _fight between them. He was never good with 'what if' type games, and when he felt uncomfortable, he tended to push people away. "No."

"Come on," she grinned at him before instantly flipping on the pouty face. He hated how easily she could turn it on and off, but he could never say no. "If we hadn't met through this," she expanded her arms in front of her to roughly display _the apocalypse. _"What line would you have used on me?"

"I wouldn't 'ave. I wouldn't 'ave even talked to ya," he answered simply. When her face fell he instantly regretted the way he had phrased it.

"Ouch."

"Ugh," he grunted in frustration, he had tried to avoid this and said no, hadn't he? "That's not what I meant." He sighed now, looking up to the starry sky to buy himself some time to figure out how to properly word it. "I just- I woulda never had the courage to talk to ya. Now Merle," he chuckled thinking about his crazy older brothers horrible way with women, "he woulda treated ya like a dog, wolf-whistlin' n lookin' at ya like a piece of meat... then act like he didn't care when ya rejected 'em." He paused for the briefest of seconds, "me? I wouldn't 'ave bothered."

"But why? You're-"

"Don't. Even. Say it." He cut her off swiftly, already knowing the next words that were going to exit her mouth. It was well known that Daryl did not know how to take a compliment. Taylor had picked up on it fast, but that didn't stop her from trying now and again. "Just admit that ya would not 'ave approached me either."

She pursed her lips together before frowning, "I guess not."

_This got depressing fast. _After another silence, this time unsettling, passed she stood up. She was done pushing him, since clearly that's what the question had done. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to make a get away from his available reaching space. She stopped abruptly at the contact but didn't turn around. Why could she _never _walk away from him?

He frowned, he knew he'd upset her.

"Did it hurt?"

"What?" She spun around on her heels, breaking his hand from her wrist.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" He smirked up at her, both his rare smile and the ridiculous line making her laugh. She knew he was just trying for her, he would never say such a thing and mean it. Taylor rose an eyebrow, a similar smirk on her own lips.

"I dug my way up from hell." Daryl snorted at her rubttle, the closest she'd ever come to hearing him laugh.

"That would have been awkward."

"Right up your alley."

"Hm?" He furrowed his eyebrows, confused by what she'd meant. Her forehead creased in concentration as she tried to explain it to him nicely. After all, she found his awkward shyness appealing for some reason.

"How do I put this?" She tapped her chin playfully, raising it up in the air when she got an idea. "Oh! You're like a baby's first steps." He glared at her skeptically, completely unaware of how he was anything like her metaphor. "A baby's first steps... exciting, cute, and kind of awkward." She grinned at him when her explanation had landed. He nodded his head appreciatively at the description, ignoring the fact that she'd snuck 'cute' into the mix and thinking he wouldn't notice.

"Anywayyy," she sang as she stepped backwards a few paces. "Goodnight."

"Night," he repeated, watching her retreating form head to their makeshift camp.

"Damn baby brother," Merle let out a low whistle. Daryl jumped slightly and tensed to try and hide that he had been startled; he hadn't even realized his sneaky older brother was spying on him. He would have known he was there if he wasn't so distracted, if Taylor didn't walk with that damn sway to her hips. He scoffed at himself, he couldn't think those ridiculous thoughts.

"What Merle?" He groaned, running a hand over his face.

"Now that ain't no way ta treat yer big brother ya ain't seen in months." He plopped down on the log where Taylor had vacated. _Oh yeah._

Daryl nodded, "I uh- it's good to see ya again."

"Ditto." Merle's steely eyes flickered to the camp where Daryl had reluctantly pulled his eyes from. "Ya got it bad, baby brother... not a position us Dixon's are good in."

"I ain't got anythin'."

"Mmm... ya think it's a good idea ta keep stringin' liddle blondie along?" He rose both eyebrows at his brother. "Ain't that goin' against that pussy _conscience_ ya got or sumthin'?" He paused to give Daryl a chance to defend himself, which he did quickly.

"I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout," he averted his gaze not wanting to broach this subject with himself, let alone Merle. He knew he wouldn't understand the position he was in even if it bit him in the ass. They were both dense as hell, but Daryl felt he'd grown up a little bit in that sense since joining the group.

"Uh huh," Merle rubbed his stubbled chin for a moment before slapping his knees and standing up. "Welp, if ya don't know what I'm talkin' 'bout then I guess our original plan is still in effect?" He let out a heavy sigh, "need to be a little altered though... we'll head back to tha prison ta get sum supplies n' then head out on our own." He narrowed his eyes at the younger sibling. "That okay? Or does liddle blondie got ya wrapped 'round her finger?"

Daryl winced, he was _not _whipped like Merle was insinuating.

"Fuck you." He was still a damn Dixon, and Dixon's did not get attached, he didn't need 'big brother' to remind him of that rule of thumb. Merle busted out in a throaty laugh, apparently the comment really rattled him to the core, he hadn't snapped on him in ages. Daryl finally gave him a curt nod, "it's fine."

After the words spilled from his lips he regretted them. He already felt a pain in his chest from abandoning the group that had welcomed him. It may have taken them some time, but it took him awhile as well, so there were no hard feelings there. But they still accepted him and treated him as part of their family. Taylor's face appeared in his minds eyes, making him roll his shoulders to push _all _of those thoughts away. Every single one of them.

He rolled his shoulders once more, shaking his head to alleviate the pressure that was pushing against his ribcage. He didn't need her. But she needed him, that was for damn sure... and maybe he'd grown slightly accustomed to her presence. Maybe.

"Good. It's settled then, the Dixon brothers will be on their own again! Juss like it should be," Merle slapped his brothers shoulder before heading back to the camp.

Daryl stared out into the darkness, only to find himself thinking the same thing over and over again. He'd made a mistake, but he couldn't take it back, he couldn't go back on his word. He couldn't betray _blood._

"Fuck."

* * *

"How far along do you think you are?" Hershel leaned close to Lori, hovering over her slightly protruding belly. He held the stethoscope to her stomach. She grimaced at the cold, pulling back for a mere second before settling again with Shane's hand squeezing hers. He slowly slid it across, trying to hear the baby's heartbeat.

"I... we're not sure," she whispered, watching him closely to be sure he wasn't making any bad faces. Lori had been panicking recently that there was something wrong with the baby. She was used to it kicking a few times a day for the past week, but had noticed a lack of activity. She couldn't help but be the worried mother hen.

"Hmm," he smiled when he finally heard a very faint heartbeat that wasn't Lori's. He knew it was only faint because he didn't have the proper equipment to hear it accurately. He counted the beats to seconds and nodded with the smile still there. "They baby is fine as far as I can tell."

"Thank god," Shane and Lori collectively sighed, relief washing over them.

"You sure you can't think of when this would have happened?" He stared at them, patiently waiting while they both went over the timeline in their heads.

"Well... if the math is right... I think four or five months?"

"Did you show this much with Carl at that time period?" She looked down at her belly with a memory filled smile. Carl was such an easy baby, she knew this wouldn't be the same. Lori nodded her head, "yes. I remember it being about this big around the end of four months."

"About sixteen weeks?" He stroked his graying beard thoughtfully. "That seems right, kicking begins usually between fifteen to sixteen weeks."

"How do you know so much about human babies?" Shane helped Lori sit up right again. "I don't mean to be rude-"

"No, no," Hershel shook his head slowly. "It's a perfectly legitimate question." He smiled between the two, it slowly faded to a frown as he remembered his late wife. "With both Maggie and Beth I read, re-read the baby books. I recall reading them from cover to cover twice over, with each pregnancy. Some things just stuck..." he sighed, standing up now. He was getting used to the crutches and the lack of foot. "I know I specialized in animals, but I promise to help you with this to the best of my ability. I know it's not the same."

"Thank you so much Hershel, for everything." Lori gave him a wide grin, patting his hand lightly. He nodded his 'your welcome' before leaving the two to their cell. Shane glanced at her nervously.

"You didn't tell him?"

"No," she gave him a stern look, and just like that she'd flipped personalities again. Shane was becoming more and more scared by the day. He was so distressed over it all he'd started to be sick on an almost daily basis. Hershel had claimed it was sympathy illness for his wife's morning sickness but he knew better. Shane was worrying himself sick over his bi-polar, possibly murderous, pregnant wife.

"Well..." he stalled, trying to think of a way to say it without her flipping a lid. "Should we-"

"NO, Shane." She put on a fake smile, squeezing his hand gently. Shane noticed her grip tighten as her smile twisted into something darker. He gulped hard as she spoke, "we won't tell anyone. I'm _fine_. It's just the hormones."

"The hormones," he nodded dumbly, hoping that she was buying his act. "Of course." He gave her a weak smile and she seemed to be believing the façade.

"Good," she kissed him on the cheek. "This is between us, and we can fix it. All we need is love, just love and patience." She gave him another smile and made her way out of the cell, only turning to give him the most sinister grin he swore he'd ever seen- and he was a fucking cop. "It's our secret."

"Of course, darlin'." After she was gone he sighed and ran his hands over his face a few times. What the hell was he going to do?

* * *

A hoard of walkers slithered along the fence, trying to get at the two people inside the fences, just out of their reach. They moaned in protest, clawing at the chain-link steel that separated them from another meal. The man and woman they were after paid no attention to them though, they had too much on their mind to be bothered with the living dead.

Maggie had made her way back from the prison alone. After getting out of Woodbury she found a car that luckily had gas in it, she took a secondary route to the prison so she wouldn't be spotted by any of the Woodbury people, consequently also making herself unknown to her group that was still out in the woods. It was tough trip, she was worn and spent and just wanted to sleep, but she couldn't do that. Glenn was so excited to see her he pummeled her in a hug and showered her with kisses. Then he couldn't help but ask her the big question, he was so worried while she was gone that when he saw her face again he couldn't wait any longer.

Glenn sighed as he held Maggie tight against him. He just proposed with everything in his heart, after asking her father's permission of course, and she'd agreed- happily. He couldn't have asked for anything else in this shitty, messed up world. He had a great group, they had a shelter from the walkers, and now he had a _wife. _

"I love you, and I'm so glad you're going to be my wife," he whispered into her hair as he kissed the top of her head. Maggie couldn't suppress the love-sick sigh she released at his words.

"I love you too Glenn." She pulled back for a second, looking into his eyes. How could she be so happy in such an awful world? She didn't really care though, she _couldn't_, she was too busy being smitten with him.

He held her hand gently in his, examining the ring as the falling sun shone on it.

"I want that part of you that you refuse to give." She threw her head back and laughed, he was so corny, and she absolutely loved it.

"I promise you that." She dove back into his arms, head laying against his chest as they just stood with each other in the sunset. The walkers growled around the fences, but that didn't stop the two love birds from being in their own little oblivious world.

"Let's go back inside," Glenn begrudgingly separated from her, tugging on her hand to lead her back into the cell block. She shook her head and smirked at him, nodding her head towards the garage.

"I think we should celebrate first, don't you?" A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes and Glenn couldn't stifle the eye roll. He loved Maggie with everything in him, he loved being intimate with her, but it still surprised him that her sex drive was twice that of his. He would never turn her down though, not in a million years. Sex with Maggie with the only thing that really helped him escape the reality of the horror around him- that and thinking about the fact that he'd soon be married to her. This time though- this time he did have to decline.

"No, Miss _Rhee,_" it was Maggie's turn to roll her eyes. She didn't want to seem even more love struck, but just his voice speaking her soon-to-be name made her melt inside. "You need to go get your arm fixed." He nodded to where there was dried blood, he had noticed she'd wince every time he touched her arm or she bent it too much. He had a feeling something bad happened but she wasn't going to tell him; she liked to try and shelter him from the bad things that happen to her.

"It's fine..." he raised both eyebrows at her.

"You look like you're about to cry." He suddenly picked her up bridal style, making her squeal. "I'm taking you to your dad, you're getting whatever that is fixed, _then _we'll celebrate." He grinned at her and she felt tears prickle her eyes, not from pain, but from his protectiveness of her. What would she do without him?

She prayed she would never need to find out.

* * *

"You're here early?" Milton glanced over at his fellow doctor who smiled warmly at him. She gave him a curt nod, making her long, auburn hair sway slightly. She busied herself pulling it back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way of the tools and chemicals.

"I figured you could use some help with the tests?" She whisked over and watched him carefully as he stirred the patients blood around in test tube, making a small, blood-red tornado.

"Always," he smirked up at her and placed the tube down next to the three other vials. "You've been working a lot lately Vanessa..." Milton mused aloud, handing her a few folders from their 'subjects'.

"Yeah." She nodded and began flipping through some of the files. "Phillip asked me to help you out... and then with all the injuries from the other night..."

They both took on a strained look, remembering when the walkers were let loose on their town and the captors reigned destruction on them. Luckily, there were only five casualties. It wasn't a good thing that they had died by any means, but there could have been a whole lot more death if those _prisoners _would have had their way.

Vanessa relaxed after a moment, her eyebrows furrowing at the blood sample he was working on. "Milton?"

"Hm?" He looked up from the computer, adjusting his glasses back onto his face properly. They always seemed to fall down when he was deep in concentration.

"Look..." she whispered, pointing to the vial that was rapidly changing color. "The... the blood!"

"Oh my..." Milton's eyes went wide in shock, was this really happening? He had been performing a little experiment, mixing the blood samples from the prisoners with blood from a walker. Now the blood was swirling by itself, and combining to make a light pink color. Vanessa quickly pulled latex gloves on and held the vial up into the light.

"Is this?"

"Yeah," he breathed, trying to scramble and get the folders together. "What number was that?" He squeaked out, unable to contain his excitement. This was the first break through they'd had with the virus since the very beginning of the outbreak. They'd never see the human blood react in such a way with the walker's blood.

"Um..." Vanessa bent over to scan through the number's until she came to the empty space. "Four."

He nodded and plucked one of the manila folders out of the pile. Vanessa continued to study the ever-changing sample. He took in a deep breath and shook his head.

"If it's combating the disease like that, instead of that," he nodded to the other samples where all the red had turned to black with the added dimension of the virus. After long, gruesome, research sessions Milton had discovered that when a "full" turn happens, the blood turns coal-black instead of red. But this... this blood was turning pink, and... and back to red?

"Oh my god, Milton!" She had to stop herself from jumping with excitement and spilling the precious blood everywhere. "This could mean... a cure?"

"I'm uh-" he fumbled with his glasses again, "I'm not sure. I don't think a cure for those who are already turned. But someone who is bitten?" He nodded slowly, carefully taking the vial from her.

"This is amazing," Vanessa mumbled, grabbing the folder to look at which prisoner the blood belonged to. "Dixon?" She tilted her head to the side for a moment. "Don't we have a Dixon here?" She started to get eager, pulling her coat on. He stopped her with the touch of a shoulder. "Don't get too excited."

"Why not? We could take more blood samples! We'll need them in case someone gets bit, we can test-"

"No, we can't." He said slowly, shaking his head from side to side. Vanessa's hand connected with her hip.

"And just why not?"

"He left." Milton stated simply, taking his time to gingerly place the vial under the high-tech microscope.

"Left?" She parroted, slowly taking her coat back off. Her face fell in disappointment, they could do so much with this advancement, but those hopes seemed to shatter with his words. "Why?"

"He went with that group Phillip had captured, the ones that want a war," he sighed and adjusted the settings on the microscope. "Merle's brother was with them so he left."

"Well, we need to find them," she announced, making sure her tone was clear: she was going whether he was or not. They needed to know about this, _everyone _needed to know about this.

"I'm not sure-"

"NO." The Governor stood in the doorway, his eyes narrowed on Vanessa. "No one will know about this."

"How long have you been standing there?" She questioned, an eyebrow quirked and a suspicious glint in her eyes. She liked Phillip, she really did, he had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go. But lately he had been acting so strange and she wasn't really sure if she should trust him anymore. He was taking prisoners and acting very shady, too shady for her liking.

"Long enough," he said abruptly. He started to close the door to leave just the two in the lab. "_Nobody _will find out about this..." he warned with one of his sinister grins, slamming the door as he left. The sound of a lock clicking could be heard and Vanessa and Milton exchanged a worrisome look.

"Oh no..." Milton stepped away from the microscope, giving her a nod to check. Vanessa warily made her way to the door, pulling on it once... twice... three times... it was locked.

"Damn!" She began banging against it wildly with his fists. "LET US OUT!" She turned back to Milton with tears streaming down her face.

"We're trapped."


	28. I'm Coming Home

Author's Note: OH MY GOD. It's been forever since I've updated and I'm truly sorry. If I thought I had writer's block before... I had no idea what was coming. I honestly apologize for such a delay in posting this chapter but I just couldn't get it written, and I appreciate everyone's patience and some of the messages with encouraging words! Thank you darylisperfection, Pixie P, ReadWriteLove715, Lila-Renee SO much for the reviews of the last chapter, I'm glad everyone enjoyed it. It makes me sincerely happy when you guys let me know how you feel about it! So, without further ado, here is the long-awaited chapter twenty-eight. I hope everyone likes it! :3

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.  
****I'M COMING HOME.**

Rick glanced around the perimeter before nodding back to the rest of the survivors, everyone scurried out after him. After taking down a few rough walkers they were all back inside their safe haven ; they were finally in the prison they called home. Everyone was sore and tired from a restless night's sleep in the woods, and all anyone could think about was laying in their cells, in the slightly more comfortable than dirt beds, and eating some food. If you could even call it that. It was mush, really, but they would take anything at that point.

An uneventful week had passed and there was no word from the people of Woodbury, they had feared retaliation from the Governor's people for killing him and a handful of their people, but found nothing thus far. Daryl walked down the corridor until he found himself standing awkwardly in front of Taylor's cell. He had avoided her for a few days with the plagued thought of abandonment, but finally came around to check on her injuries from Woodbury. In fact, he hadn't stopped checking since early that morning, coming over every hour or so.

"Is it botherin' ya?" Daryl nodded to Taylor's cheek and finally walked past the cell door, she shrugged and attempted to act nonchalant, though he knew it was an act. He could read her like a book, and after all they'd been through together, it would be startling if he couldn't.

"No." She shook her head and brushed the hair away from it, as even the slightest touch to the cut stung. It needed cleaned again, if she didn't keep up with properly washing every day it would get infected, and having an infection in this apocalyptic world was as good as a death sentence.

"Don't be usin' that wrist either," he glanced towards the damaged body part that Cassidy had played a major role in; though he didn't know that, Taylor hadn't mentioned to anyone what happened to her, just went on acting like it was hurt when the Governor came into the picture. No one had actually seemed to notice Cassidy's disappearance and most probably thought it was for the better anyway.

"Yes mom," Taylor rolled her eyes and let a small smile tug at the corner of her lips. "You're being a bit of a mother hen, you know?" She smirked up at him and he returned her eye roll, starting to walk off and give her some space. He had to admit he was being a little overbearing, but with the thought of leaving looming over his thoughts constantly, he couldn't really help himself. He found that the closer the time came, the harder it was to accept that he was ditching everyone in such a cowardice way.

He gave a slow nod and focused on walking again, to the best of his ability anyway. The only thing Daryl could really focus on was that fact that soon he'd be leaving everyone behind to go off to God only knows where with his brother. Why had he agreed in the first place? Why couldn't they just stay at the prison? Sure, Merle was a loose cannon, but he would be tame for his brother's sake. That's when it hit him, Merle wasn't going to leave without him, so all he had to do was find a way to make it seem as if he was needed here- make it appear that he _couldn't _leave. Then Merle would have no choice but to stay put.

* * *

"Hi Merle," Beth mumbled as she squeezed past him. Her cheeks lit up in a bright, pink blush and she refused to make eye contact. Merle's eyes followed her like a lion assessing its next meal. Taylor's eyebrows rose and she snaked her way towards him with a frown.

"What's up with Beth?"

"Whadaya mean?" His forehead creased and he gave her a disapproving glare.

"She seemed awfully nervous around you," the blonde noted aloud, giving him another hard look. He shrugged his shoulders casually and tried to push past her.

"I dunno liddle blondie, should probably mind yer own bidness though." She stopped him from leaving, suddenly getting a sinking feeling of what was going on.

"Do you... like her?" Her lips curled up into a small smile. Sure, the age gap was ridiculous, but Taylor figured there was no room to judge. She had been with older men in the past and couldn't really believe Beth would want to be anywhere near a hulking brute like the elder Dixon.

"Nah! Get outta my way, yer startin' to piss me off." He used his good hand to wrap around her bicep and force her to the side. Taylor moved after not really having a say in the matter and called after him.

"I know you got a crush Merle Dixon!" She folded her arms over her chest and watched him go with a satisfied smirk. Was it even humanly possible for a person like Merle to like a girl - a woman rather, Beth was grown now - in any way other than sex. _Oh shit_, that's when the thought dawned on her. Had they been having sex behind everyone's back? She was sure that her uncle, and cousin, would put a bullet in his head if they found that out. She rushed to catch up to him, pinning him to the wall to the best of her ability. He not only outweighed her, but he obviously had started lifting weights again, she noticed when she glanced at his bare arms.

"You're not screwing around with her," she paused, looking him up and down for any body language that would give it away, "are you?"

"Shucks, like I'd tell ya shit 'bout my sex life. I don't ask ya 'bout Daryl's-"

"Hershel will _murder _you." She cut him off before the conversation steered towards her and Daryl and got even more awkward. Not that it wasn't already incredibly uncomfortable to talk about him fucking her cousin. "Not kick you out, not chop off your other hand, he will literally shoot you in the face."

"That old gimp?" He scoffed and stroked the stubble on his chin thoughtfully, and for a moment, Taylor saw perhaps what Beth saw; what maybe all the other women he ever had saw, his husky attractiveness- _oh fuck no. _She shook the thoughts away and narrowed her eyes at him.

"That's my uncle. And she's my little cousin." Taylor took shallow breathes, she hadn't realized it up until then that he was a very intimidating presence, and she was certainly putting herself in a compromising position.

"So t'was okay when ya thought I liked 'er? I can't sleep with 'er? I ain't no thirteen year old, neither is the little angel. She likes 'em big n' bad." His lips turned upwards into a mischievous snarl, he figured no one would like the idea of him getting it on with the youngest Greene, but didn't really care since he was leaving soon.

"Oh my god. You're going to die." She shook her head at his stupidity, didn't he care that everyone would be on his case when they found out? She didn't have any plans of spilling the beans but Beth sure wasn't good at keeping it a secret.

"Ya threatin' me?" His eyes darkened and he took a step forwards, causing her to take one back away from him. She shook her head furiously as she stumbled backwards.

"No! I just told you, my uncle and Maggie-"

"I don't give a shit 'bout none a y'all. Me n Daryl r takin' off soon anyway." Her face fell at his words and he knew she wasn't informed of the plan before his mentioning of it. "Ah, baby brother didn't tell ya, did 'e?" For a slight moment he felt guilty, apparently he was the one to be the bearer of bad news, and he didn't want to be in that position. He hated to admit that he kind of liked her, they bonded in the woods, she had brought his little brother somewhat out of his shell, and she wasn't as much of a thorn in his side than he originally thought, and he had to be the one to crush her. He shrugged it off, she would have to mourn over the loss on her own. It would toughen her up anyway.

"No." She shook her head as her eyes filled with tears and he hurried to make an exit. When he was far enough away that he knew he couldn't be heard by anyone he finally spoke quietly.

"Sorry liddle blondie..."

* * *

"What are ya packing up for?" Beth's small frame came into Merle's peripheral vision and he sighed audibly. He already had to deal with one emotional blonde, why did this little one have to come along? This one... he had only taken a minuscule liking to due to the fact that she was the only one who had spoken more than three words to him since his arrival. Everyone else seemed to walk on eggshells around him, unsure of how to act since the "Atlanta" incident that caused him to fall away from the group; and cost him a hand. Merle couldn't give two shits about that anymore though, maybe still holding a grudge against Officer Friendly, but no one else really bothered him.

But her small acts of kindness and acceptance of him made it just that much harder to shun her and use his usual 'no bullshit' attitude. He knew in the little time he had been at the prison she attached herself to him like a leech, just looking for some company that didn't have a uterus. He wasn't sure he wanted to break the news to her, not the way he had done to Taylor anyway.

"Juss doin' some spring cleanin' sugar." He didn't turn to face her and Beth's stomach immediately dropped, twisting into an uncomfortable position.

"Ya leaving?" She whispered, her voice hoarse as she tried to contain the tears that threatened to spill over at any given moment. One wrong word by him and the waterworks would surely start. He spun at a snail's pace and her face fell, she could tell by the guilty look on his face that he was planning on skipping town... without any of them... without her. No more feeling protected by the big, bad, force-to-be-reckoned-with Merle.

"Me 'n Daryl..." he started slowly, fumbling in his mind with what to tell her. "Gonna take care a Woodbury for y'all-"

"Don't do us any favors," Beth mumbled, halting him from continuing his explanation. "We can handle our own here." She gave him a curt nod, very similar to the type he usually gave people, and swept away before he could stop her. Not that she truly believed he'd try to, but in the rare case that he was planning on it, she made sure he wouldn't have the time. She only made it halfway down metal staircase when he said her name so sadly she had to stop. His gruff, gravely voice made the clinking of her tattered cowboy boots stop abruptly. Her body went rigid as the singular word left his chapped lips; her blonde hair slid off her shoulders as she slowly turned the upper half of her body. He gave her a brief smile, the corner of his lips twitching up for just a second.

"You'll be fine. I promise."

* * *

On her quest to find Daryl, Taylor walked with a brisk pace, every thought imaginable running through her mind all at once. She could barely even walk with all the emotions that were consuming her being at the moment, but she trudged on anyway. She honestly had no idea what she was even going to say when she found him, and frankly, she didn't care. She just needed to know if he was truly planning on jumping ship without a single word. Didn't he remember how broken she was after her finance's abandonment? Or did he not care anymore?

It seemed as if Merle's reappearance had changed something in him, like he was slowly drawing himself away from her again, and she wasn't sure she could handle that.

She was still on her mission when she heard it. It was a _very _distinctive sound, one she'd come accustomed to during the Woodbury raid. It was the sound of death... _human death. _Taylor pressed herself against the wall right before coming to the corner. Her breathes were short, shallow, and shaky as her mind began a new thought process. What was happening?

All she could hear was a blood-curdling scream, only able to decipher that it was coming from a male. Suddenly the pleading started.

"_Why_?" There was a guttural moan after the question, he was clearly choking on his own blood. It suddenly dawned on her that it could have been anyone: Rick, her uncle, Daryl. With this realization she decided she had to intervene. She tried to unsheathe the knife from it's small holster strapped to her boot as quietly as possible, sliding it out painstakingly slow. When Taylor finally had it clutched firmly in her hand she rounded the corner, and her jaw went slack as her eyes widened in complete shock.

"What..." she gasped by accident, her whisper giving her position away instantly.

Lori let her own knife fall to the ground with a small _clink_. She looked up and frowned, her eyebrows creasing as she recognized Taylor standing stalk-still in front of her.

"Why are you here?" The brunette muttered, her bloody hands coming up to grip her swollen belly.

"I... I..." she stuttered, trying to back away. Her fear-filled blue eyes dropped to the floor where Rob lay with both hands covering the gash across his jugular. Taylor could tell he was fading quickly, but she didn't have the time to worry about him. Once her eyes refocused on the crazed soon-to-be-mom her heart sank.

"I can't let you tell anyone," Lori took two steps forward gingerly, her hands now shaking as they gripped a revolver that she must have had hidden on her person.

"I won't tell anyone Lori." She paused, lifting both hands in the air to show she wasn't going to attack, despite the knife she was gripping. "I promise." Taylor threw on a fake smile to try and convince her further. It seemed to be working.

"How do I know I can trust you? I couldn't trust that one," she nodded her head towards the lifeless corpse beside her. "He found out about Shane and I's little secret and threatened-" Lori's lips stopped moving as something began ticking in her mind, her eyes suddenly shifting to devious. "I never figured out how he knew. It was you," she clutched the gun tighter, Rob's blood beginning to drip down in small splatters. The barrel of the gun lined up with Taylor's forehead and she began to softly shake her head from side to side.

"No!" Her voice went up an octave as she protested. She couldn't help the instinctive steps she was taking backwards, this action only further infuriated the elder woman. "I didn't tell _anyone _Lori, you have to believe me."

She scoffed, "I can't trust anyone anymore. I just have to worry about me, Shane, Carl, and the baby." Her dark eyes never wavered, making Taylor even more unsettled. "But I guess..." the revolver leisurely lowered in her small hands. Her steely, manic eyes filled with tears as a whole new personality came into place. "What happened?"

"What?" Taylor gawked at the transformation she had just witnessed. "You seriously don't know?" The blonde cocked her head to the side, Lori had officially lost it.

"No," her head shook, her long, dark locks flowing with it; that's when she spotted her soiled hands. "_What is this?!_" She shrieked, looking around frantically.

"Lori! Lori!" Taylor took careful steps forward and wrapped her hands loosely around the terrified woman's biceps. She gently shook her and used her steady voice to draw her worried eyes back to her. "Just breathe, Lor."

"What is going _on_?" She brought her hands up between the two of them and tears began to trickle down. She seemed so psychotic moments ago, and now she seemed so fragile. "Did I kill a walker? Did you? Were you bit? Was I?"

She was throwing questions too quickly for Taylor to answer so she simply sighed. Lori followed the blondes eyes as they trailed over to Rob's body.

"I...?" She pointed to herself and finished the question she didn't want to do verbally.

"Yes," Taylor started, "we have to demolish the brain before he turns." She bit her bottom lip and made a quick, silent decision. She did not want to be on Lori's bad side if she was this severely mental. She was going to help her cover this murder up; just another a secret to add to her list. "And we have to hide the body."

* * *

Daryl had just slung his bag over his shoulder opposite the crossbow when Taylor ran by his cell without so much as glancing in his direction. Merle had told him what happened and he was expecting an onslaught from her, crying and maybe even throwing a fit, but she didn't even seem to notice him. He made his way to her cell and peeked his head in, watching her fling clothes and other small objects around at a rapid speed.

"What are ya doin'?" He finally asked, breaking her from her intense search. She gasped and looked up to see it was only Daryl. She shook her head as a signal that she didn't have the time or energy to tell him.

"Tay, are ya okay?" She ignored him again, frantically ripping a sheet from the top bunk that nobody slept on. She bundled it up in a ball and held it in her hands, facing Daryl with an emotionless expression.

"I'm fine." She finally managed to speak, having a hard time looking at him because she knew what was happening. He was leaving, and apparently he was choosing now to say goodbye; she didn't have time though, and she really didn't want to go through it anyway. She still felt betrayed that he was going to leave without so much as a 'see ya', and figured the only reason he was doing it now was because Merle had tipped him off.

"What are ya doin'?" He repeated his question again, nodding to the sheet she held tightly in her hands.

"Nothing."

"Why are ya bein' short with me?" He furrowed his eyebrows, he knew she would be upset he was leaving, but he wasn't expecting the cold shoulder. He wanted to tell her how he planned on convincing Merle to come back after they make sure Woodbury wouldn't be retaliating, but she didn't seem interested in anything he had to say. She shoved past him and gnawed on her bottom lip to keep from crying.

"Taylor!" He grabbed her arm and forced her to face him, a sad look playing in his eyes. She pursed her lips and refused to meet his eyes. "Ya don't even wanna say goodbye?"

"I don't have anything to say to you." She answered simply, trying her best to keep her voice from shaking, she just had too many things going through her mind.

"Really now?" He arched an eyebrow, this was not what he was expecting. He didn't really like the fact that she didn't seem to care they were parting ways. "Why's that?"

She shrugged out of his grip. "You were going to leave me here... without even letting me know you were leaving!" Taylor couldn't help the raise in her voice, her true emotions were starting to show, despite her trying her hardest to hide them.

"I didn't wanna hurt ya... didn't want to see ya cry." In that very moment he appeared as a small child, fragile and helpless, just telling the truth and hoping not to get scolded. She inhaled deeply and finally let a few tears fall.

"That would have hurt worse." She glanced over his shoulder to see Lori waiting in the shadows. "I have something I gotta do. Sorry." She went to move past him and he stopped her a final time. He brushed the last few tears away and kissed her softly on the lips, unsure if they would ever cross paths again.

"We're gettin' rid of the threat at Woodbury... I..." _I love you. _"I'm sorry." He cursed himself for not saying what he wanted to, for not using his heart for once in his life. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to say what he knew she wanted to hear, in his mind, it would only hurt worse. Her bottom lip quivered as he started to walk away, after everything they'd been through, after he saved her fucking life, he was going to walk out on her and he couldn't even tell her how he felt.

He felt a sting on his cheek and it took a second to realize she had slapped him; something else he wasn't expecting.

"_I love you_, dumbass." She whispered, forcefully gliding past him to collect Lori and go back to their hiding of her victims body. Taylor couldn't believe how much she just wanted to vomit from the aching pain that was developing in her chest, or how loudly her heartbeat was drumming in her ears. She didn't have time to deal with _any _of that, and she knew she would regret not having a proper goodbye with him.

* * *

Vanessa and Milton were busying themselves with trying to find a way out of the locked room. They had been locked in for what they thought to be three days, and they were running out of food and water. There was only minimal supplies left in the room in case of an emergency and those supplies were wearing thin. She looked over at Milton with a loud sigh.

"Still nothing." She whispered and slumped against the wall where he was sitting and slid until she was next to him. She shook her head and wiped away the small amount of sweat that had built up from the effort mixed with the heat of the boxed in room. Neither one wanted to talk loudly or make too much noise since the Governor had made a brief appearance to inform them that he was going to go blow up the prison. The prison that held the immune ones. Defeat and depression had slowly started to sink in on them, they were never going to create a cure, and they were never going to get out of the room.

Milton glanced up sadly at her, offering a cracker with a small smile. "Thanks."

"We're dangerously low on water Vanessa," he started anxiously, "we could last days, maybe even weeks without food before starving. But water?"

"I know how the human body works Milton-" she stopped in the midst of her chiding when they heard a banging at the door. They feared it was the Governor on a rampage to get rid of their discovery and scrambled to their feet quickly. They hadn't even made it a few feet away when the door came crashing down.

"Whadaya need in here Merle?" Daryl peered around the room until his eyes fell on the scientist and doctor. "What are ya doin' in here?"

Merle came shoving past him, letting out a low whistle, "Milty!" Milton rolled his eyes until he realized what the brother's arrival meant.

"Ya know 'em?" Daryl asked, keeping a skeptical eye on the pair. Initially he thought they would be the Governor's lackeys and try to kill them, but that thought quickly faded when he remembered them being locked in the room. That didn't seem like something a man like the Governor would do to people who were loyal to him.

"Yeah, Milty here is tha Governor's pet." Milton scoffed, and tried to speak up again when Merle continued. "I wish I 'membered the liddle brunette there," Merle licked his lips and rose both eyebrows at her. Vanessa furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest, not used to Merle's advances. Daryl suppressed the urge to slap his brother upside the head, he would hit on anything with a pulse.

"Wait a minute," she mused, rushing over to get the pile of manila folders off the desk. She plucked a single one off the table with a smirk, holding the picture up near his face. "You're Dixon!"

"The one and only," he replied arrogantly, reaching for the folder and flipping through it. "What's all this bullshit?"

"You and your brother... you're both immu-"

"We don't got time for this!" Daryl finally called. "Is the Governor alive or not?"

"He is," Milton answered quickly, nervous about both Merle's, and now his brother's, temper. He adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, glancing at Vanessa with a 'please don't piss these people off' look. "He said he went to take out the prison."

"_What_?" Merle shook his head, he already knew what Daryl was going to say. "We have to-"

"I know, I know. We have to go save 'em." He rolled his eyes and slapped his brother on the shoulder. "Fuckin' knight in shinin' armor." He took the folder with him, giving Vanessa and Milton a devious grin before turning back to Daryl. "Can't juss let Officer Friendly take care of his people."

"It's not him I'm worried 'bout."

"Course not." Merle shook his head and started to walk out the door after Daryl who had already left in a hurry. Vanessa and Milton both watched them leave before she turned to him.

"Why didn't you let me tell them! We could have gotten more blood, done tests, all kinds of stuff." She took a step forward to chase after them when Milton grabbed her arm gently and tugged on it.

"They're dangerous men Vanessa, I don't think you should go after them." He pleaded with his eyes but she was having none of it. There was a chance at a cure here and she was not going to pass it up.

"Then come with me."

"What?" He asked incredulously, eyes wide as he internally debated her proposal.

"Come with me. We'll go to this prison with them. The Governor thinks we're a liability anyway, he's going to kill us regardless. Maybe we'll have a chance with them. And God knows we'll have better luck with walkers if we have two people who are immune with us." She took him by the shoulders and gently shook him. "Think about it." Milton paused for several seconds before slowly nodding.

"Okay, we'll go with them."


	29. Back In Black

Author's Note: I'm as surprised as you are, I'm sure! I didn't think I could get this chapter out this quickly, but I guess the writer's block has given me a bit of a break. Thank you to any new followers/favorites! I also want to thank the reviewers again, because as I've said many times before you guys just brighten my day! I get a notification that I've received one and my whole day turns around by your kind words. C: Special thanks to Lila-Renee whose little surprise is in this chapter, love you dear! And also thank you to darylisperfection and ReadWriteLove715 who both always have lovely things to say, and are just wonderful people all around. Enough of my ramblings, here's the newest chapter. The lyrics at the end belong to Taylor Swift, who I don't really listen to, but the song was just too perfect for the ending. The song is called "Safe & Sound", I listened to it on repeat while writing the last scene, so listening to it while you read might just make it better? This is the _longest _chapter I've written so I really, really hope you like it. Love you guys!  
xoxo ~

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.  
****BACK IN BLACK.**

"He's too heavy," Lori whined as she continued to push Rob's legs forward while Taylor pulled both his arms with all the strength she could muster. Rob was solid muscle, and now simply dead weight. Both women paused for a break, something they didn't want to do since they were dragging a body through the tombs. They weren't stupid, they knew it was dangerous, but if they carried him through the front there was no way they wouldn't be spotted.

Although they were both equipped with guns and knives, and Lori was attempting to balance a flashlight under her arm, they were still unnerved in the space where they knew walkers could be looming. Lori dropped his legs and moaned loudly from the growing ache in her arms.

"We can't stay here much longer." When the blonde spoke, the brunette shone the flashlight directly into her eyes, causing her hand to come up and shield her sensitive orbs.

"But he's _so _heavy. I shouldn't be straining myself," she let her free hand fall to her belly with a small frown tugging at her lips. Taylor stifled an eye roll and took a deep breath through her nose, suddenly remembering why they hadn't been friends before. Both girls took a seat on the floor, being sure to avoid the corpse. Lori spent her down time trying to catch her breath that she couldn't seem to gather no matter how hard she tried; the baby was literally sucking the life out of her.

"I know Lor." She sighed and finally swatted the flashlight away from her eyes when it seemed to get closer, "and no offense, but this wasn't _my _doing."

"Right," she cast her glance away and gasped loudly as the light fell on the horrendous sight developing before her. "T-Taylor?"

"Hm?" She looked towards the illumination and felt her blood run cold. "Get up!" Taylor sprang to her feet in an instant, quickly helping the struggling Lori afterwards. Both girls drew their weapons as a horde of hungry, growling, dirty walkers began to approach the fresh meat. Their growls and moans grew tenfold as they got closer, the awareness of their next meal becoming very apparent.

"We won't have enough bullets!" Lori whisper-shouted at her companion. Taylor mentally performed a head count, coming to the terrifying conclusion of fifteen, and more were beginning to show up, making the number grow to seventeen. Lori was right, even if they both got perfect head-shots with each bullet, which was unlikely, they would still only be able to kill ten; five bullets for each of their small handguns. Their knives could be effective with one, two, maybe even a small group of four, but this was way out of their league. Not to mention the pregnant woman wouldn't prove to be a whole lot of help when it came to hand-to-hand combat.

"We're so fucked."

* * *

Milton and Vanessa exchanged a worried look. They, along with the Dixon brothers, had discovered a new sick twist in the Governor's demented mind. All of the townspeople, and most of his lackeys, lay dead on the side of the road. They had all been shot mercilessly in what looked like a hail of bullets. It was not a good sign, and definitely didn't bode well for the prison crew.

"What happened?" Vanessa's hand covered her mouth and nose as the sickening smell of cooper and death hit her nostrils. She immediately averted her gaze from the destruction that lay before her, Milton protectively wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into him. He made sure she was protected from the gore, hiding her face in his chest.

"Killed 'em all," Merle rasped, surveying the damage while he rubbed the growing stubble on his chin. "Must 'ave really lost his marbles."

"Lost 'em a long time ago," Daryl mentioned quietly, referring to the night in Woodbury. Merle nodded in understanding, letting the comment hang in the air before examining some of the bodies a little closer. He could tell the Governor just went off, shooting wildly with no care in the world.

"Well, now," the elder Dixon began scavenging some of the guns and bullets from the deceased, "he's bat shit crazy."

After getting over her initial nausea and disgust of the situation, Vanessa began helping her three counterparts collect some supplies. One of the trucks had food, water, blankets, and clothes in them; they had come to an agreement that apparently the Governor and his group were going to be staking the prison out if they had extra supplies on hand. Vanessa and Milton took turns taking items to their 'pile of supplies' just to have something to do, they didn't want to get in the way. That was Merle's first and only rule for them tagging along, _"fine, but keep quiet." _They decided to respect his request so they weren't left stranded on the side of the road.

They both glanced up when they heard the roar of an engine. Merle had hot-wired one of the abandoned trucks.

"Less go!" He called out while slamming his fist on the horn a few times for added effect. Daryl, Vanessa, and Milton loaded everything they had gathered and climbed in silently. Even in a world where the dead were walking it was still a grim sight, one that truly left an impact on someone and caused words to escape you.

After twenty miles of awkward, tense silence Daryl glanced in the backseat to see the pair asleep. He turned back to Merle and the corner of his lips twisted up into a smile. He punched his brothers shoulder softly making him turn over with a glower.

"What?" He scowled, furrowing his eyebrows before turning his attention back to the road. "Tha fuck ya hittin' me for?"

"Do ya miss 'er?" Daryl smirked at Merle, knowing he would pick up what he was trying to hint at.

"Cherokee?" Merle gruffed out, his grip on the steering wheel suddenly tightened. He let out a low whistle and kept his eyes on the road so little brother wouldn't see the faint tears forming in the back of his eyes; the tears he would deny until his dying day. Dixon's, especially Merle, didn't love another human being, it was driven out of their genes long ago. And damn it all to hell if he couldn't stop picturing her face now.

"Maybe," he shook his head slowly, he didn't want to think about her long dark hair, the feathers weaved through it, braided down her tanned back. Damn, he couldn't think that way, not when he left her behind the way he did.

"Then what was all that shit with Beth?" Daryl broke Merle's intense concentration with the question. "Just tryin' to piss everyone off?"

"Nah." He chuckled and for the life of him couldn't stop the grin that broke across his face, it humored him that _that _was what everyone had thought. _They really all do think I'm a piece a shit, huh? _"Juss wanted ta get sum ass 'fore leavin'. That a crime?" Instead of verbally answering, Daryl just snorted, his brother always had to be a smartass.

"Probably hurt tha kid, everyone was startin' to think ya liked her." Daryl waited as Merle mulled his thoughts over.

"She's okay. Nuttin' like muh Cherokee though..."

Merle took the growing unease and falling sun as a sign to pull over for the night. They camped out on the side of the road, Daryl taking the first watch and Merle falling asleep to dreams of feathers and dark hair floating around him.

* * *

Maggie knelt in front of the grimy toilet bowl with a grimace. She clutched onto the sides as her dinner emptied from her stomach all over again. Unfortunately, it looked the same going out as going in, which only made her feel more nauseated. When she felt the vomiting was all done she sat back on her heels and wiped the remaining mess off her face. Silent tears started to roll down her clammy cheeks and she quick to cover her mouth to hide the sobs when she heard the door open.

"Babe?" Glenn gently knocked on the bathroom stall with his knuckles. "Mags?" When she didn't answer he gingerly pushed the door open, the rusty hinges squeaking. "Are you okay?"

"I'm... I'm... fine." She used the back of her hand to clean her mouth a final time.

"You know," he extended his hand and helped her to her feet, "this has kinda been happening a lot lately." He didn't _want _to point it out, but it needed to be said. It was obvious something was wrong, and he knew he wasn't the only one to see it. The dark thoughts had been hanging over both of their heads like storm clouds for weeks now.

"I know," Maggie finally whispered, keeping her eyes away from his. She couldn't stand to look at him, not when she was bawling like a baby. She didn't want him to see her tear-soaked face.

"Hey." He placed two fingers under her chin, forcing her to bring her gaze to meet his. "Everything will be okay. We can get through this." He brought his left hand up to massage lazy, comforting circles on her back as he spoke, "just look at Lori and Shane."

"Yeah! Look at them!" Maggie screeched, her cheeks filling with heat as her voice rose. She took a step back from him and sniffled. "They're falling apart Glenn. Ever since I started to think..." she glanced down at her flat belly and her mouth pinched into a flat line. "I started watching them. Shane is stressed to no end, and Lori..." she ran a hand through her short locks, "she's going out of her mind with worry."

"Well, we can do better," he breathed, trying to catch her before she ran out on him. "This is me and you, _us_, we've been through so much together. We can do this."

"I'm not even sure yet." She gripped her stomach that started to churn again as all the thoughts made her head spin.

"We'll get a test on the next run, just to be sure? " She nodded slowly at his words, a delicate smile beginning to transform her features. Glenn took this as a good sign and clasped her hands in his, giving them a gentle, reassuring squeeze before leading her back to the cell-block. They could do it, they would do it, no matter what this new, hellish world threw at them.

* * *

The sound of the last bullet rang through the air. Both Taylor and Lori knew what the sound meant, and they both gave the other a troubled glance. The darkness seemed to amplify as they both silently accepted that they weren't making it out, that this was their last stance. The guns fell unceremoniously to the floor and they instantly switched to their knives.

"This it?" Lori gulped hard, trying to avoid crying even though that's all she wanted to do at that very moment.

"Looks like it." Taylor peered over at her partner's protruding belly and felt like the wind was knocked out of her. She cursed under her breath, "damn it."

"What is it?" The taller woman barely choked out. The tears had started when she just couldn't hold them back anymore as Shane, Carl, and the unborn baby flashed before her eyes.

"Go!" Taylor spat out, shoving one of the crippled walkers away.

"What?" Lori's eyes practically bulged from her head as she quickly realized what her counterpart was suggesting. "No!" A walker that seemed to move quicker than the other startled them as it lunged towards the two. Taylor struck its skull with her knife, using one leg to kick it back and let gravity extract the weapon back into her hands as the corpse fell. It knocked a few others over, but in moments they were up on their feet again growling and advancing. They were slow and kind of stupid, but they were tough little buggers, that much was obvious.

"Fuck Lori, you have a baby... JUST GO!" Lori didn't have time to say thank you, she just used the realization of her 'friends' sacrifice and made a run for it.

"I'll get help!" She promised as she sprinted away. The flashlight had fallen from her hands and luckily landed in a position that gave Taylor enough light to see her impending death. She knew Lori would keep her promise, but it would be too late. There was no way in hell she would be able to take all the walkers down by herself, she just wasn't trained or skilled enough for the task. Since there were really no good outcomes no matter what she did, Taylor took a deep breath and charged into the group, taking out the first biter with no problem. That's when she tripped over a dead one.

"Are you_ kidding_ me?" She couldn't believe that she had fucking tripped, something so stupid to get killed over. It was probably a good thing that no one was here to see the way she would go, in such a cliché, horror movie, dumb blonde way.

Three starving zombies sprang at her the second she went down, a perfect meal just sitting before them. When she dejectedly realized her knife had slipped away in the fall she closed her eyes and began to accept her fate; her life flashed before her eyes and she didn't even care anymore. She had lived a pretty horrible life anyway, even before the dead started walking and eating the living. And besides, this was really no life to live, in all honesty. Always having to look over your shoulder, never knowing if you'll have food the next day, being abandoned by your loved ones. Fuck this place, fuck this world, and fuck everyone in it!

"Holy shit." She knew the voice the instant she heard it. She may have not seen the person, or heard the person, for months... but she knew. Her eyes fluttered open, bewilderment taking her features over. All of the walkers were dead. Every. Single. One.

And that voice, it was him?

"Alexander?" He helped her to her feet and she had to shake her head to make sure she wasn't just dead. Had the walkers torn her apart and she was on the other side now? Heaven or hell, she couldn't be positive if he was here.

"It's me, Tay." He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry." She stepped back to look him up and down, touching him gently at first to make sure she was one hundred percent sure it was all real. Suddenly she slapped him across the face.

"What was that for?" He rubbed his cheek and knitted his eyebrows together, confused by her behavior. "That ain't no way to treat your fiancé."

"You left me in that godforsaken house! I don't even want to look at your face." She started to storm off, until she remembered that she couldn't see three feet in the other direction. She ran back over to grab the flashlight and started to walk off towards the cell-block.

"Hey!" Alex chased after her with a frown. Once he was able to match her speed he tugged on her arm. "I just saved your life. You at least owe me a minute."

"Yeah, get in line with all the other guys that save me and leave me." She snubbed him and yanked herself out of his arm. She couldn't believe any of this was happening, she was having a hard enough time grasping the fact that she was actually _alive. _Then to add her fiancé coming back on top of everything just really made her wish she had died in the walker horde.

"Other guys? What are you talking about?" He jogged back up to her and stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop. "Don't you even want to know how I get here? _Why _I'm here?"

"Okay, please enlighten me. How the hell did you find me?" She crossed her arms under her chest, glaring up at him as she awaited his response. He rolled his eyes at her typical behavior, even in the apocalypse she hadn't changed much.

"Oh, like it would have been so terrible if your fiancé was looking for you? You're still a spoiled brat." Before she could back away he struck like a rattle snake, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards him.

"Don't touch me!" Taylor writhed in his grip, trying to escape, but he was too strong. It reminded her of when Shane lost his cool and had done something similar, but he had never done it again after that; she was used to Alexander putting his hands on her.

"What the hell's going on?" Rick kept his gun trained on the stranger. "Who's this?"

"None of you business," Alex spat angrily, forcing Taylor to stand beside him. His temper was getting the better of him, and he was even more unhappy about it; nothing was going according to plan.

"I'm the one with the gun, I think it's my business," the former sheriff remained calm and cool like he always was.

"Rick it's fine," Taylor whispered. "It's Alex..." she waited for him to put the pieces together but he wasn't seeming to pick up on it. "My fiancé."

"Your... oh?" Rick was taken aback for a moment, apparently Taylor wasn't the only one stunned by his arrival. "How'd you get in here?" He finally lowered his gun, keeping his eyes on him since he was seconds from to manhandling Taylor. He barely knew this Alex, but he certainly didn't like him.

"You guys have a breach in the back wall of the prison. I came in to snoop around, didn't even know Tay was in here." He made her stand closer to him, feeling slightly intimated by Rick's presence. Suddenly he looked between the two with a smirk. "The Governor sent me."

* * *

"Well I was supposed to stake you guys out. Sort through everything, the in's and out's. But now that I know you're here..." Taylor vaguely listened to Alex as he explained everything. How he'd left her at the house to find help when he ran into the Governor's group, then when he returned to get her she'd already fled. He promised he'd looked for days, weeks even, but she didn't buy it. She was having a hard enough time just listening to the bullshit that was coming out his mouth because something was forcing her towards the fence. There was a small stretch of space where no walkers took up residency, they were all closer to the gates where all the activity and noise was happening. She kept her eyes focused there, just waiting, even though she had no idea what her instinct was telling her to watch for.

"Taylor? Did you hear me?" She shook her head to clear the fog that had formed over her senses.

"No, sorry." Alex's hand fell to her face, letting the fingers brush over her cheekbone.

"You're still beautiful." She rolled her eyes and batted his hand away.

"You think I'm going to forget how you treated me?" Her arms went up to their usual defensive position over her chest. "I know better now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He put both hands on her shoulders, the contact forcing her to look at him.

"I just know it's... it's not okay." She sighed and he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She felt herself surrender to him all over again; just like in the past, he would apologize and she would go right back to him. She couldn't fathom why it kept happening, maybe she didn't have anyone to show her that she could have better. Better than getting hit, or feeling stupid. She felt the sensation of needing to be near the fence happen again and she shoved him off.

"No, Alex. You've done enough damage. I'm done." She went to turn away, but before she left she narrowed her eyes at him with a small smirk. "I meant I know better because I've _found _better, better than you."

"You been sleeping around on me?" His eyes turned a darker shade, the demon in him becoming apparent again. The look sent shivers down her spine, she knew she shouldn't push the subject, but he wasn't going to back off. He was a like a hungry wolf that would stop at nothing to get what it wanted.

"For christsake Alex, I didn't even know what happened to you." She threw her hands up in exasperation, he couldn't possibly have been serious in her mind. He left her for dead and she was supposed to hold onto hope of them getting back together for the rest of her miserable life?

"So you thought it was okay to just fuck another guy? Why am I not surprised?" Alex rolled his eyes, his tone becoming dangerously venemous.

"Screw you, you cheated on before any of this happened."

"You belong with me," he grabbed her hand and examined it, scoffing when he noticed the lack of ring. "Whadya do with it?"

"I threw it in a lake," she answered defiantly, it had been a long time since she'd spoken up for herself, and it felt good. Taylor remembered throwing the ring into the lake and feeling instant relief wash over her.

"It doesn't matter. I don't care who this person is, you're coming with me. We're leaving this shit hole and going back with the Governor. You're still mine Taylor, ring or not." He reminded her by taking the hand he was already holding and attempting to drag her away.

"No," she vehemently shook her head, using all her strength to break away from him. "You can go back by yourself. You and the Governor can kiss my ass."

She felt the tugging at her heart-strings and she knew she needed to go to the fence now, she didn't care what Alex was going to do, she just had to do it. As soon as she spun around she knew why she had felt that way, why there was such an urge within her to go there.

He stood with the same old leather jacket, the same old crossbow, the same old shaggy hair, but he was wearing something new; a small crooked smile when she finally noticed him. He clutched onto the chain-link fence and nodded to her.

"Daryl!" She ran over to the fence, knowing full well she should alert the others so they could take some walkers out and open the gates, but at that moment she couldn't. He had left, and he had come back, and he was sincerely happy to see her; the complete opposite of the reunion with her fiancé. Taylor slowed down to a jog when she was only a few feet from the fencing, extending her hand to touch his lightly.

"You came back?"

"'Course," he rose an eyebrow and smirked at her, "who the hell else is gonna save yer ass all the time?" He asked, repeating the line from when they had been reunited after Woodbury. She grinned and let her hand fall to his other, just feeling that he was here too. She was _really _alive, and he was _really_ back.

The whole time he was gone he had regretted not just saying what she needed to hear, but he had a second chance. Right here and now he could make her happy, he wouldn't pass the chance up again after how heartbroken she'd been before.

"I came back 'cause I love ya." He breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled at himself for a moment. There. He said it. It sounded so foreign to him, but the smile that it caused her reassured him that it was right. It took him months to face it and accept it, but he wasn't going to be defined by his asshole father, someone else cared for him and he could accept it.

"Don't be exceptin' no flowers n' candy though," he reminded her as tears started to streak down her cheeks. "Yer s'pposed to be happy." He felt the smile he'd been wearing break into a frown.

"I am happy," she sniffled as he reached through the holes in the fence to wipe the tears away, "you have no idea."

Before Daryl could get a reply out a shot rang through the air. It was as if every being -living and dead- stopped at the sound. Taylor's breath hitched in her throat as she watched him slump to the ground opposite her. She noticed the blood begin to ooze from the hole in his side. All the walkers immediately came towards the sound, intrigued by the interesting noise and the smell of blood in the air. Taylor was frozen in terror as they all made their way towards the motionless Daryl and her throat went dry. She was separated by barbed-wire and a mile of fencing.

"Problem solved," Alex appeared from nowhere and whispered in her ear, holding his gun up next to her. She punched him in the face so hard she was pretty certain that both his nose, and her hand, were broken from the impact.

Taylor began to run to the gate as the walkers on the other side took off in Daryl's direction. Rick was outside in a flash, hearing the commotion and already at the gate.

"OPEN IT." She called out to him. He responded by rapidly flinging the fence open. There were no walkers there anymore to take care of. "Give me your guns."

"I... can't?" She noticed Vanessa, Milton, and Merle approaching in a beaten-down truck that seemed to be driving on a flat tire. She ignored them all and turned back to her friend.

"Give me them, Rick!" She shouted with her hands out, he noticed the panic in her voice and actions so he handed them over with no more protest.

"Where are you going?"

"It's Daryl." He tried to ask her to elaborate but she was already gone.

Taylor ran until her lungs felt like they were going to shrivel up and she was going to puke them up. Her heart felt like it had been ripped in two, and now it was as if it blew up from the constant running. She couldn't recall the last time she ran so hard, even in high school when her gym grade counted on it she hadn't run so fast. She had taken biters out one by one as she went along, shooting and running. When she finally made it to the patch of grass of he had been laying in she was floored to see it was unoccupied.

"Daryl!" The blonde yelled out to him in hopes that he'd hear her and call back, or walk over, or anything really. She just needed to see that he was okay. "Daryl!" She heard another gunshot and ran towards it, stumbling over a few dead walkers along the way. When she finally found him he was sitting perched against a tree trunk. His eyelids were half-open and he was surrounded by biters that he'd taken down himself. She dove towards him, falling to her knees in a puddle of mud. When had it even rained? She couldn't be sure, the past few weeks had been such a blur she wasn't sure of anything anymore.

There was a single moving walker near him that he'd managed to fend off, it groaned as its fleeting moments of life slowly passed. She picked up a nearby rock and smashed its head over and over until it no longer made noise. It lay lifeless next to them both, its brains, teeth, rotting flesh splayed everywhere.

"D-Daryl?" She crawled back through the muck, kneeling beside him. His eyelids fluttered open and closed a few times after she spoke his name. "We have to get you inside... uncle Hershel can fix you." She glanced down at the wound, "he can fix that up, no problem."

"No, Tay." He shook his head, an action he quickly regretted when it throbbed like his brain was loose and shaking freely in his skull.

"What do you mean no? Let's go! There'll be more walkers soon." She tugged on his hand but he stayed seated. "Why..." she felt her body go numb as his refusal suddenly made sense. "No."

He grimaced as he lifted his sleeve to reveal a shiny, bright red, fresh bite mark; a small chunk of forearm missing. She felt her throat tighten already knowing what was to come. His breathes were suddenly shallow and short, more jagged as his eyes closed again.

"_No._" She shook him awake and he locked eyes with her for just a second before shutting again. "We can fix you. Look at me!" She screeched, the tears falling freely without any recollection of even beginning to cry. His eyes snapped back open as she shouted, but his body began to shake slightly, like he was cold, though it was _hot _and humid out. Taylor felt her own shake with sobs. "You're going to be okay... you're going to be okay." She heard herself repeating the words continuously on a loop, leaning down to put her hands underneath his head. She could see the light start to drain from his shocking blue orbs.

"Tay?" She was surprised he was talking.

"Yeah? I'm here," she whispered, choking back the sobs to talk to him. Her voice was so hopeful, but she knew the ominous thoughts playing in the back of her mind were where the truth was.

"Sing?"

"What?"

"Sing, like you did 'fore. Jackson..." he let his sentence drift off, it was becoming increasingly hard to speak. She nodded, practically gasping for air.

"Okay..." she took the handkerchief out of his pocket to wrap around the bite. The sorrowful blonde scooted behind him, adjusting their positions so his head was in her lap. His lips shut and his head lolled to the side so she whispered loudly, "Daryl."

"I'm 'kay. Sing." His slurred words came out in a meek mumble. She nodded again and brushed some of the tears away, pulling all the strength from within her to sing to him, as his final request. She sniffled a few times and pushed his hair out of his face, watching his bright eyes slowly shut again.

_"I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you. When all those shadows almost killed your light. I remember you said, don't leave me here alone. But all that's dead and gone and passed, tonight." _She watched his chest rise and fall slowly, in an erratic pattern. She looked up to the sky, silently praying to a God that she wasn't even sure existed at this point. He grumbled, shivering slightly in her arms, his skin starting to turn to fire. _"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down, you'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound." _

She fumbled to reach over him and get the gun out of his holster. She'd stupidly dropped both the ones Rick had given her on the way over. Taylor held it firmly in her hand for a few moments, taking the same slow, uneven breathes as he was, but for a much different reason. She checked the chamber for bullets, just two left. She held it and rocked back and forth while trapped in her own thoughts.

_"Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire. The war outside our door keeps raging on. Hold on to this lullaby, even when the music gone. Gone." _She squirmed out from under him. She could have sworn his moans were becoming less like a human in pain and more like one of the things that had bitten him. She stood up and brought the gun with her, taking a few steps back. Taylor stood in that moment for what seemed like an eternity but was merely seconds; just pondering what to do. Panicking over the decision she had to make, the heart-aching, gut-wrenching decision. The decision to end it all, she couldn't let him turn into one of those lifeless monsters, could she?

He had told her so long ago at the quarry, burying the bodies of their group... he said he _wanted _to be put down if he was going to turn. She had to do, she had to shoot... Daryl.

She felt her body quake with the sobs again, a fresh stream of tears falling rapidly.

"No... _please _no."

* * *

Rick, Merle, Vanessa, and Milton were running in the general direction they'd seen Taylor leave in.

"You're telling me they're immune?" Rick panted as they continued to sprint, he was in awe at this revelation. Milton nodded and continued to jog with the group, Merle heading them off since he knew his baby brother was in some serious trouble.

"Essentially."

"If they're bit, it's our belief that with proper care they'll rebound-" all their heads snapped to the right as they heard two shots fire off. One quickly, the other just a few seconds after. Their stomachs sank when they realized they were too late.

**BOOM.**

** BOOM.**


End file.
